As we embark on this year’s Lenten Season, it is time, once again, to hear and obey the call that God places on our hearts... While February seems to be all about Love, Lent is a time to reflect on how we are acting in response to God’s love. On Ash Wednesday we will here God speak through the prophet Joel: “ … and rend your hearts … Return to the LORD your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love…” Joel 2:13 (ESV) So, what does it mean to “rend” our hearts? Those experiencing a heavy loss or extreme grief in the Old Testament would “rend” their garments – tear them apart, usually at the center of the chest – revealing their heart. To “rend” your heart, then, is to expose the inner most part of your being – to open up – and thus allow God to do His work in your life. This is how we are to RETURN to the LORD – with a heart open to receive his steadfast love. Psalm 51:7 (ESV ) states it this way… “ The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.” During this period of Lent in March, bring your broken and contrite heart. RETURN to the LORD, and receive the blessings of His grace and mercy, share in His abounding and steadfast love, those gifts given in the sacrifice of His son, Jesus Christ, to atone for your sins. Let the Cross of Christ “mend the rend” of your heart! And be blessed to share such blessings with others. Pastor Jim Pastor Jim Kirschenmann

February, with Valentine’s Day, brings to mind the concept of “Love.” What do you love?

Isaiah 43:18-19 (NIV): "See, I am doing a new thing!..."

GIVE AS GOOD AS YOU GET That phrase is often used in our secular world in a negative context; for example, in a third-person perspective of “[person] gives negative comments as effectively as those being dished out against [him/her/them]“… And so often the case is that we are proud of the fact that we can lambast another with a slur that tops whatever they said against us. But… what if? What if this season we turn that around and flip it into a POSITIVE mindset? What if we were to build others up (see Ephesians 4:29 ), rather than tearing them down? What if we were to focus on what could make things better, instead of focusing on what does (or could) make things worse? What if we were to GIVE hope, encouragement, trust, kindness, compassion, and care? And what if we were to become an example of that type of giving – all year ‘round? Would that make a difference in our world? (Sign up for “14 Days of Light” this month). As we’ve been studying the Acts of the Apostles, we recently came across the following passage from Acts 20:35 (ESV): In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’” As you (hopefully) still have the remnants of Giving Thanks on top of mind, meditate also now on what God has given you (J ohn 3:16 ), For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. So, my encouragement for you this day, this month, this year (and the next) is to give an example, as the Apostle Paul did for us, and to remember that to ‘Give as good as you get’ also means you need to realize just how much you have been blessed – to the point of receiving eternal life… in paradise… with Christ Jesus! Give even as it has been given to you… in Christ, Pastor Jim Pastor Jim Kirschenmann

And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works...

RE|NEW Your Mind. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. Romans 12:2

But if your heart turns away, and you will not hear, but are drawn away to worship other gods and serve them, I declare to you today, that you shall surely perish. Deut. 30:17-18a In this Season after Pentecost, and especially in September this year, the words from Jesus are particularly hard to hear… they make us cringe as we are convicted of how wrongly we, like the religious leaders of Jesus’ day, are oriented – toward the ways of the world and not toward the ways of God. These are hard words, but necessary for us to hear, as we are called to follow Christ and change our ways. Throughout the month of August, our WITNESS Sermon Series dealt with the “The Great Commission” and began with the phrase “Come and See | Go and Tell.” Witness? You say… in what ways? The whole point is that, as Peter tells in his first epistle, “you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” - (1 Peter 1:5) Holy – meaning different – set apart – for God. As followers of Christ, we live a different life and have a different view of how the world SHOULD be. But there are times when these words are hard to hear… It is often so much easier to follow the world and go along with whatever others believe – don’t make waves, keep your head down, follow the crowd… but WITNESS?! That’s hard to do! And we fear the repercussions when we try. Jesus, however, calls us to repentance and points us to His cross to see forgiveness and the true meaning of a love that lasts. When the Holy Spirit directs, that day will come… as the prophet Isaiah gives us words of hope, “In that day the deaf shall hear the words of a book, and out of their gloom and darkness the eyes of the blind shall see.” Isaiah 29:18 With the gift of Faith, let us have ears to hear and eyes to see… and LIVE as God leads us, then WITNESS with the help of His Holy Spirit. Pastor Jim Kirschenmann Zion Lutheran Church - Vassar, KS

Seems as though Summer just got started and suddenly we are seeing signs announcing “Back-to-School” and promoting “Savings!” As we think