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TRANSCRIPT
St. Paul Lutheran Church of Catonsville, MD May 2018 Issue: 153
THE GOOD OLD DAYS
As Christians look at the church today, you sometimes hear them speaking about: if
only the church could be like it was in the "good old days". They are usually referring to a
time in their life when churches were filled with people or that worship was like it was when
they were confirmed or that society promoted and was accepting of Christian morality and
ministry or that .......... . The "good old days" of one group usually refer to the "bad new days"
of another group. The church has been changing since the day after Pentecost, some of it
good and some of it bad. Maybe the only "good old day" of the church was that first day that
began in the street of Jerusalem. On that day the Holy Spirit worked in the hearts of those
who were gathered as Peter bore witness to the crucified and risen Lord and lives were
changed, the Church of Jesus Christ began, and Satan began his work to disrupt and destroy
the Church's mission and unity. Over time the Church has gone through cycles of wandering
from the truth, and restoration. As Lutherans we are a product of one of the great Church
restorations called the Reformation.
For Luther and his colleagues, what were the "good old days"? It surely wasn't the
church of their youth or even of their parent's youth. The "good old days" were not about
style or traditions, they were about the Gospel and the mission and ministry of the Church.
The "good old days" were the days of Pentecost and the Church that was formed in the peri-
od that followed. The Church as it goes forward in time is also trying to go back in time, but
most people don't want to go back far enough. We confess that we believe in "one holy
Christian and Apostolic Church". This is the Church we are always striving to be. We strive
to be holy, being the Church as Christ wants it to be, a Church that follows Christ through
His Word, seeking to do His will and setting aside our own. As the Christian Church we
serve Christ as we go forward in His mission of proclaiming the Gospel to all people and
making disciples, remembering that the Church is here to empower and equip Christians for
service not to just serve them. As the Apostolic Church we are the Church as it was estab-
lished by the apostles not as it was recreated by others. These are the "good old days" that
we should always be seeking to return to and rediscover. Sometimes when we want to re-
turn to the past, we just don't want to go back far enough.
The world we live in today is not much different than the pagan, amoral Roman
world the early church found themselves called to reach. We are not the world of the 1950s,
60s, or 70s. As we seek to reach this new generation and our changing society we would be
well served to look and better understand the "good old days", the Church of the 1st centu-
ry, and look at how our other "good old days", the days of the Reformation, focused our
attention once again on the centrality and proclamation of the Gospel. Let's get back to the
Walking Together
Jesus calls us to be a Lutheran community gathered around Word and Sacrament
and sends us to reach the lost, disciple the saved, and care for our neighbors everywhere.
Important Dates in May:
01 Council Meeting, 7 pm 02 Choir, 7:30 pm
03 Leadership Planning, 7 am
04 School Walkathon
05 Men’s Club, 8am
Bible Museum Trip, 9-3 pm
Yth. Night @ St. Paul, 6-8 pm
07 ESL, 7:15 pm
08 Elders, 7 pm
09 Choir, 7:30 pm
10 FROG Youth Group, 3 pm
12 MAYFEST, 11—2 pm
13 Cherub Choir Sings @ 11 am
15 Day School Concert/
Art Exhibit, 6:30 pm
16 Choir, 7:30 pm
18 Spring Fling Dance, 6:30 pm
19 Church/School
Workday, 8 am
Yth. @ Trampoline Jump Park
22 Women’s Guild, 6 pm
23 Choir, 7:30 pm
25 Concordia Prep
Baccalaureate
28 Office, Day School, & ECC
Closed
30 Welcome to New
Students, 6:30 pm
Choir, 7:30 pm
Join us each Sunday for
Worship Services
8:15 am & 11:00 am
Sunday School / Bible Study
9:30 am
"good old days" and be the Church that grasped and personally took to heart the mission of bringing God's saving
grace in Jesus Christ to every person they came in contact with. It's not about programs or a certain style, it is about
loving people for Jesus in each of our lives through our loving words and actions. The mission field isn't in some distant
location, it is right next to you, with every person whom God brings you in contact with. When Christians are loving
one another and those around them, as they proclaim their faith in Jesus as their Savior then we are living in the "good
old days". Let get back to the "good old days"!
Pastor Schafer
WORSHIPING TOGETHER IN MAY
SUNDAY WORSHIP
Note: The sermon texts are in italic print
May 6 - Sixth Sunday of Easter
Theme: “The Power of Praying"
Bible Readings: Acts 10:34-48 1 John 5:1-8, John 15:9-17
Service: Prayer and Preaching - 8:15; Service: Setting 2 - Holy Communion - 11:00
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May 13 - Seventh Sunday of Easter
Theme: “My Greatest Gift to Share"
Bible Readings: Acts 1:12-26, 1 John 5:9-15, John 17:11b-19
Service: Setting 2 - Holy Communion - 8:15, Prayer and Preaching - 11:00
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May 20 - The Day of Pentecost
Theme: “I'm Blessed to Be Here"
Bible Readings: Ezekiel 37:1-14, Acts 2:1-21, John 15:26-27, 16:4b-15
Service: Printed Order of Service - Communion at Both services
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May 27 - Trinity
Theme: “Whose Church Is It?"
Bible Readings: Isaiah 6:1-8, Acts 2:14a, 22-36; John 3:1-17
Pre-VBS Jobs
Pre-registration
Create and make the set
Assist in publicizing the event
Put posters in the community
Collect Snack Supplies
Gather station supplies
Elementary Station Leaders
Castaway Singing Leader
Bible Discovery (drama)
Ship Rec Games
Tropical Treats (snacks)
KIDVID Cinema (video station about inspiring
true life stories and learning about Haiti Mission
Project)
Imagination Station—Crafts
Sail Away Sendoff (closing)
New friends ● Amazing experiments · Creative games
Lip-smacking snacks · Surprising adventures · Incredible
The best week of the summer!
Five Days of Connecting Kids to Jesus
Mission Project
Growing God’s Love in Haiti
Vacation Bible School
July 9-13
8:45 am-It’s time to Register
$20 per child, After June 15: $25
Forms located in the Narthex
Operation Kid-to-Kid is partnering with World Vision to provide
Haitian families with drought-tolerant seeds—enough to grow food
for the entire family, with additional crops to sell in the community
markets.
During VBS children will learn about real children in Haiti, the needs
they have and how they can help. Donations from the children,
parents, and congregation members will help feed thousands of
struggling families for many years.
STAFF SIGN UP
If you have a specific job that you would like to do,
please request it early.