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Optical Illusions
Luke 16:19-31
Devotional message based on the readings for September 25, reprinted from Sundays and Seasons. Copyright © 2022 Augsburg Fortress. All rights reserved.
Have you ever seen one of those pictures that changes depending on how you look at it? Is it a rabbit or a duck? Is it a vase or two faces looking at one another? A young woman or an old one? Sometimes our first impression of something gets in the way of us seeing it another way.
In the parable Jesus told in Luke 16:19-31, there is a man with wealth and influence who has always seen his life as a success. That success seems all the more pronounced in contrast to a poor, sick beggar who is always hanging around the entrance to his house. But when the rich man dies, he realizes that his life was actually the opposite of what he thought. It was not his possessions or status that mattered; it was the justice and love he showed to others. When it came to those things, he was far more impoverished and much sicker than the man he looked down on every day.
When we look at our own lives, it can be easy to get stuck in just one way of seeing them. If we focus on worldly standards, we may judge ourselves as successes or failures in ways that are out of touch with how God sees us. With this parable, Jesus calls us to new ways of looking at ourselves. Where are we missing the opportunities right outside our front door to act with love and justice for our siblings near and far?
In Christian worship, we gather to practice the way our lives and our world appear to God. We lift up the cries that have gone unheard. We look at one another and ourselves through the redemptive waters of baptism. We feed one another around the table that Christ sets for us all in our common need. As witnesses to God’s truth, we send one another forth to shatter misguided illusions in the world around us.
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Join us for worship
Worship on Sunday, October 2, and Wednesday, October 5, will include Holy Communion and receiving new members. We will hear in the Gospel reading (Luke 17:5-10) Jesus' instructions to his followers about the power of faith and the duties of discipleship. A little faith goes a long way!
Sunday morning worship begins at 9:00 am. For those who are unable to worship with us in person, join us during our Sunday radio worship broadcast at 9:00 am on 92.5 FM Warroad.
Wednesday evening worship begins at 5:30 pm and includes a variety of music led by the worship band, an easy order of worship, and a message.
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The October 2 radio broadcast is sponsored in memory of Katie Jo Olafson’s 22nd heavenly birthday on October 2 by Joe & Joan Olafson. If you would like to sponsor a broadcast, please call or email the church office. The cost is $85.
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Partners in Prayer
Please pray for those on Zion's prayer list: Ralland Harrison, Susan Kofstad, Jon Paul Kragness (son of David & Jan Kragness), and Grant Olson.
Click here to continue reading our extended prayer list. If you have a name of someone you would like to add to the prayer list, please ask permission from that person first. Then, you may contact Zion’s church office (386-1733 or zlcw@mncable.net) to have the person added to the list.
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Harvest Festival is a day when we focus on giving thanks for the abundant blessings we receive from our faithful God (the "harvest") and in turn rejoice through the blessing of fellowship, food, and music (the "festival"). Many people in our congregation use this time as a way of honoring God's provision by giving an over-and-above offering. The men in our congregation team up to volunteer to bring food, cook food, help serve, and help clean up -- and it's a real treat for everyone! Please plan to participate.
Sign-up sheets to volunteer to help with the meal or donate food are located in the Gathering Space.
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Women of Zion Fall Fundraiser Sale
to be held on Harvest Festival Sunday
All women are invited to participate in the fall fundraiser sale. Please bring your items ready to place on the sale tables on Sunday morning, October 16. Members of the Women’s group will be available to help with pricing before Sunday church service, but you are welcome to price your items at home.
Items needed are home baked goods, jams, jellies, clean garden produce, and lefse. Craft items are always good sellers. Items for a children’s corner are popular gift giving ideas. Larger items may be brought for the silent auction.
Contact Julie Jones for more information.
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New (and warmer) adventures for Pastor Mary
Pastor Mary Gilthvedt's last Sunday at Zion will be Reformation Sunday, October 30. She will then move to Winter Haven, FL, where she will be living in a 55+ resident-owned gated community. Her address after November 1 will be: 9705 Lake Bess Road, Unit 350, Winter Haven, FL 33884. During the summer months her home base will be at her sister's home in Rochester, MN. She is planning on keeping her present cell phone number, 218-689-2641 and e-mail address, mgilthvedt@gmail.com.
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Women of the ELCA Conference 1 Fall Gathering
"Restoring Hope"
The Women of the ELCA in Conference 1 will have their Fall Gathering on Saturday, October 15, at First Lutheran Church in Karlstad. The speaker is Lisa Hatlestad who is a master certified life coach, writer, wife, animal lover, and a passionate student of nature and life itself. Registration and coffee begins at 9:00 am with the program starting at 9:30. The cost is $20. The registration deadline is October 10. Contact Marilyn Grandstrand at 763-258-9217 or mgrand1000@ymail.com to register or for more details.
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Register soon for Pathways WONDERFULLY MADE
A Spiritual Renewal and Crafting Retreat at Camp Emmaus
November 18-20
Quilters, crafters, scrapbookers: You won't want to miss WONDERFULLY MADE: a DIY crafting retreat where you will experience Pathways' hospitality at its finest. Immerse yourself in the beauty and tranquility of Camp Emmaus in Menahga, MN. Delicious meals, group Bible study, an art project, and special music are all included. Spacious individual tables are available to work on your own unique craft projects and connect with others in Christian fellowship. You won't want to miss this special retreat! Enlarge the image below to see the retreat schedule.
Cost: $165 for Friday through Sunday. If you want to get an early start by arriving on Thursday as early as noon (meals on your own for Thursday), the cost is an additional $20.
This event is open to 18+. Call the Pathways office to sign up today. Space is limited.
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This week at Zion
- Friday, September 30: 7:00 am- Men's Bible Study
- Sunday, October 2: 9:00 am- Worship with Holy Communion and New Members received; 10:00 am- Coffee Fellowship
- Monday, October 3: 9:00 am to 12:00 pm- Quilting for Lutheran World Relief
- Tuesday, October 4: 3:15 pm- Warroad Ministerial meeting (at Zion); 4:30 pm- Congregational Care Committee meeting
- Wednesday, October 5: 12:00 pm- Items for weekly publications due; 4:30 pm- Wednesday School; 4:30 pm- Pre-Confirmation class; 5:30 pm- Worship with Holy Communion and New Members received; 6:15 pm- 8th Grade Confirmation class; 6:30 pm- 9th-11th Confirmation class
- Thursday, October 6: 9:30 am- Rostered Leaders Conference meeting (at Moe Lutheran, Roseau); 4:30 pm- Council meeting; 5:15 pm- Rebecca Circle meeting
See the monthly church calendar at a glance here.
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Stewardship
Worship Attendance:
41 at 5:30 pm on Wednesday, 9/21
71 at 9:00 am on Sunday, 9/25
Offerings for week ending 9/25:
General Fund: $2,355.30
Building Fund: $730.00
Backpack Program: $125.00
Building Loan funds to raise as of 8/31: $15,300.00
As a response to hearing the Good News of the Gospel through Scripture and proclamation, a worshipping congregation collects an offering. Offerings provide funds for outreach and mission. We encourage you to support Zion’s mission by giving in any of the following ways:
- Online at https://zlcw.org/webpay/
- Automatic giving (Use the link above to set it up yourself or if you need help with getting set up, call the church office.)
- Through the Vanco Mobile app. Search "Vanco Mobile" or “Vanco Mobile Faith Engagement” in the App Store or Google Play. Once you download and open the app for the first time, search for "Zion Lutheran Church of Warroad" or "Warroad" (make sure you don't add an extra space after Warroad, or it may not find us). If you have logged into WebPay from zlcw.org or if you’ve used the retired GivePlus app, use the same username and password for Vanco Mobile.
- Drop off your offering at worship or in the drop box outside the main entrance
- Mail your donation to Zion Lutheran Church, PO Box 61, Warroad, MN 56763
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Council Update
Kelly Schaible Thiele, Council Secretary
Greetings, Zion members, and happy fall! I hope this finds you well as school has commenced and the weather begins to change yet again. We have much to anticipate in the coming weeks! Please note that the date for Harvest Festival has been moved to October 16. Worship on that Sunday will begin at 10:30 am, with a meal to follow at 11:30 am. Volunteers for meal preparation, serving, and cleanup are always needed and welcomed!
Council would like to continue expressing our gratitude for this congregation’s generosity as we work diligently to eradicate our building loan. Giving is steady and the support you have shown of complete loan payoff by the end of 2022 is a remarkable blessing. We look forward to the opportunities that fulfilment of this obligation will bring!
One of the initiatives brought to—and approved by—the congregation was discussed in our September meeting. Amanda Bengtson, member of the Daycare Task Force, was a guest at our meeting and presented the information she has procured thus far from area resources, including feedback from a walk-through of the church building she did with Deb Landin, another Task Force member, and a knowledgeable contact at an area agency. The most poignant action item recommended was to expand the task force out of Zion to include other community members, and so firmer connections will be made between our Task Force and others who have taken a strong interest in and actions toward local daycare options as well. More information to come as steps are taken!
Finally, please save the date for the next Annual meeting, which will be held on October 26. Look for the annual meeting packet to become available in mid-October!
With warmest wishes,
Kelly Schaible Thiele
Zion Council Secretary
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Wednesday Schedule
Fall worship and education classes are in swing, but it's not too late to join in the fun.
- Faith Formation [a.k.a. Wednesday School] for kids age 3 through grade 5 has begun, but it is not too late to join the fun! Registration can still be done online. Come see what it is all about on Wednesdays from 4:30 to 5:15 pm
- Pre-confirmation class is 4:30 to 5:15 pm
- Worship begins at 5:30 pm.
- 8th grade confirmation is 6:15 to 7:00 pm
- 9th through 11th grade confirmation will meet from 6:30 to 7:30 pm
If you haven't already completed a student registration form, go to Zion's website to fill out the online student registration. You may register all students at once for Wednesday School, pre-confirmation, and confirmation on just one form.
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It's the season of fall meals in our neck o' the woods
St. Philip's Catholic Church of Falun will hold their Fall Festival from 9:00 to 1:00 pm on Saturday, October 1. They will serve caramel rolls, homemade soups, BBQs, bars, juice, and coffee. There will also be a bake and craft sale.
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Fall quilting continues at Zion on Monday mornings
Fall quilting continues at the church on Mondays from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm, but you can come and go as you need. You do not need to bring any supplies. You can tie, pin, or do some sewing.
If you prefer to work on your own, there are items that can be done at home like cutting fabric into blocks and sewing quilt tops. Contact Marlene Lewis at 218-386-2018 or Judy Landin at 218-242-0589 with questions or if you want to arrange to get fabric or blocks to work on at home.
If you have supplies like sheets, bedspreads, blankets, mattress pads, or fabric to donate, you can drop them off anytime at the church.
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The race to pay off our Building Loan
Patrick Frolander, Zion Lutheran Church Treasurer
As we get closer to the amount of funding necessary to pay off the remaining balance of our building loan, it is important that we not lose momentum. In fact, the opposite should be the goal. I will use the analogy of running a distance race.
Runners pace themselves to be able to endure the length of a race taking care not to push too hard towards the beginning of the race. As a runner nears the finish line, they don’t ease up knowing that the end of the race will come soon. They reach to God for the strength and courage, they reach outward to the spectators encouraging them, and inward to their training to find the next gear and push as hard as they can until they are across the finish line.
We are nearing the end of this journey of loan repayment, and it is important that we maintain our pace and maybe try to push a little harder to get us across that finish line a little faster. The hope is that we are ready to write our final check in mid-December, and I believe we can get there. The remaining balance to raise will be posted in the Messenger and E-Messenger below the weekly offering totals.
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Stress and Crisis: Get help now.
Click on the QR code below.
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Families fleeing violence face a new and constant threat — hunger. Your gift provides lifesaving emergency food and so much more. Give to feed a hungry child today. You can go to the Lutheran World Relief website or you may write your check to Zion designated for “Feed the children” and leave it in the offering plate.
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Worship services are each Sunday at 9:00 am and Wednesday at 5:30 pm. Pastor Mary is available via phone (218-689-2641) and email (mgilthvedt@gmail.com). Her home mailing address is PO Box 429, Roseau, MN 56751. The church office is open from 10:00 to 4:00, Monday through Thursday. You may email Vicki or Deb at zlcw@mncable.net and call the church phone number at 218-386-1733.
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Zion's Church Council
Liz Hardwick, President (Personnel): 218-230-4423
Deb Lalim, Vice-President (MEF): 218-689-5626
Kelly Thiele, Secretary (Cong. Care): 218-242-2631
Rick Arntzen (Stewardship): 218-242-1535
Shawn Brunelle (Worship & Music): 218-386-3644
Dan DeMolee (Property): 218-386-1879
Barb Knutson (Memorials): 218-242-4280
Dan Lykken (Property/Capital Cam.): 218-791-9838
Jana Thompson (Christian Ed): 218-689-5200
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