News & Notes
Friendly Rider:
Anyone desiring to use Friendly Rider on Sunday morning to attend worship services, just call and tell them your destination. There will be no charge to you.
Financial Secretary:
We are still looking for someone to fill one of the Financial Secretary positions. This is not a huge time commitment. See Carol S. or Pastor for details.
Audio Tech:
(This is a fancy name for the person who runs the Power Point on Sunday morning.) We are in DESPERATE NEED of people to help in this area if we're going to be able to continue to have Divine Service on screens. See Josh S. or Pastor for more details.
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Our most recent meeting was Monday, August 17, 2026, at 1:00 p.m.
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The Wadena Zone LWML Fall Rally Planning Meeing was held on Friday, August 21, 2026, at Grace Lutheran of Sebeka, MN. The Wadena Zone LWML Fall Rally will be on Wednesday, October 28, 2026. More information will follow.
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Our next meeting will be Monday, September 21, 2026, at 1:00 p.m.
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Board of Evangelism:
There are several instances during the ministry of Jesus that he charged his disciples to tell no one about what they had seen or heard. For example, Jesus asked his disciples in Mark 8: 27-30 how people identified him as well as how the disciples identified him, Peter replied (v. 29) "You are the Christ." Jesus told them to tell no one about Him. Jesus also told Peter, James, and John to tell no one what they had witnessed when he healed a twelve-year-old girl (Mark 5:41-43) or the spectacular scene on the Mount of Transfiguration (Mark 9:3-9). The time was not right for "telling" until Jesus' ministry was complete and He had risen from the dead.
Because we live in the post-resurrection era, the time IS right for telling. Jesus' last command to his disciples before He ascended into heaven was "Go tell." We read in Matthew 28:19-20 "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."
With His help, let us winsomely and boldly share with others the gospel of Christ. Our neighbors, as well as all people across the world, need to hear the good news more than ever before!
Greeting Card Ministry
Be sure and check out the new selection of various Greeting Cards available for sale in the library. Napkins are available as well.
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LWML Sunday
Fall Festival
In lieu of a Saturday Fall Festival, and in recognition of LWML Sunday on October 4, 2026, coffee and cinnamon/caramel rolls will be served (free-will offering) after the worship service. In addition, some craft items, some canned goods, and fresh produce will also be available for sale. An LWML mite box will be provided for donations for our "bakeless" bake sale.
Donations of crafts, produce, and canned goods are welcome. Please mark your items before you bring them. All proceeds will help support out local LWML projects.
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Stitch & Chatter Quilters
The Stitch & Chatter quilters have quilts for sale. These quilts are located in the fellowship hall and are tagged with prices and the approximate sizes. Checks can be made out to Stitch & Chatter and left in the church office or mailed to the church.
Most of the quilts made by Stitch & Chatter are donated to missions, the Empty Stocking Fund, fire victims, and members who might be in need of them.
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Fall Rummage Sale -- 2026
The fall rummage sale is scheduled for October 15-16. You may bring your items to church beginning on October 11.
Board of Elders:
"When Compassion Doesn't Look Like Compassion"
In Matthew 14:14, we are told that when Jesus saw the crowds, "He had compassion on them and healed their sick." It is a beautiful picture of our Lord's heart. Jesus sees the people who are hurting, and He responds with compassion.
But shortly afterward, we encounter another story that can make us pause.
In Matthew 15:21-28, a Canaanite woman comes to Jesus because her daughter is suffering terribly. She cries out to Him, "Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me!" Yet Jesus does not immediately answer her. Think about that for a moment.
She came to Jesus because she believed He could help her. She was desperate. She cried out, and Jesus appeared silent. The disciples even asked Him to send her away. Yet she persisted. She knelt before Jesus and said, "Lord, help me."
Jesus then tells her, "It is not right to take the children's bread and toss it to the dogs."
That is a difficult statement for us to read. From our human perspective, it may seem as though Jesus is being anything but compassionate. Here is a desperate mother asking for help, and instead of immediately giving her what she asks for, Jesus seems to turn her away.
But she doesn't leave; she doesn't become angry; she doesn't decide that Jesus must not care. Instead, she answers, "Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters' table."
Jesus then tells her, "Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted." And her daughter was healed.
This story makes me think bout how often we define compassion by what we want God to do for us.
When we are drowning, compassion might look like Jesus immediately pulling us our of the water. When we are sick, compassion might look like immediate healing. When we are hurting, compassion might look like God removing the source of our pain.
But what if God's compassion doesn't always look the way we expect it to?
There may be times in our lives when we are crying out, "Lord, help me!" and it feels as though heaven is silent. We may wonder why God hasn't answered our prayer. We may even begin to thins, "Where is His compassion?"
But perhaps there are moments when our Lord is doing something deeper than simply removing the difficulty in front of us.
Perhaps He is building our faith. The Canaanite woman did not allow silence to convince her that Jesus didn't care. She did not allow rejection from others to convince her that she didn't belong before Him. She did not allow a difficult answer to make her walk away.
She continued to believe. Her faith was not demonstrated because everything went the way she wanted. Her faith was demonstrated because she continued to trust Jesus when it didn't.
That is a difficult lesson for us. We often want faith to mean that we believe God will give us the outcome we are praying for. But perhaps great faith is sometimes believing in Jesus even when the outcome is uncertain.
When we feel like we are drowning and wonder why Jesus isn't reaching down to pull us out, perhaps He hasn't abandoned us. Perhaps He is teaching us to reach for Him with a faith that goes beyond what our eyes can see.
The Canaanite woman came to Jesus with nothing to offer except her faith and her need. Jesus honored that faith.
So, when God's compassion doesn't look like what we expected, let us remember this woman.
Keep praying. Keep kneeling. Keep seeking. Keep trusting.
And above all, keep coming to Jesus, because sometimes the greatest demonstration of faith isn't found in receiving the answer we wanted. Sometimes, it is found in continuing to say--even when we don't understand--"Yes, Lord. I still believe. Lord, help me."
Josh S. for the Board of Elders.
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Lutheran Island Camp Registration
Our congregation pays the registration fee for any youth from St. John who wishes to attend Lutheran Island Camp.
For a positive change in your life, plan to attend
Lutheran Island Camp this summer!
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