WIXLIB

Thirteenth Sunday after PentecostAugust 30, 2020Alive in Christ to share life in Christ5200 Lake Otis Parkway · 563-3499· FaithAlaska.com

The First LessonJudges 16:22-31The hair on [Samson’s] head began to grow again after it had beenshaved. 23 Now the rulers of the Philistines assembled to offer a greatsacrifice to Dagon their god and to celebrate, saying, “Our god hasdelivered Samson, our enemy, into our hands.” 24 When the people saw him,they praised their god, saying,“Our god has delivered our enemy into our hands,the one who laid waste our land and multiplied our slain.”While they were in high spirits, they shouted, “Bring out Samson toentertain us.” So they called Samson out of the prison, and he performedfor them.25When they stood him among the pillars, 26 Samson said to the servantwho held his hand, “Put me where I can feel the pillars that support thetemple, so that I may lean against them.” 27 Now the temple was crowdedwith men and women; all the rulers of the Philistines were there, and onthe roof were about three thousand men and women watching Samsonperform. 28 Then Samson prayed to the LORD, “O Sovereign LORD, rememberme. O God, please strengthen me just once more, and let me with one blowget revenge on the Philistines for my two eyes.” 29 Then Samson reachedtoward the two central pillars on which the temple stood. Bracing himselfagainst them, his right hand on the one and his left hand on the other, 30Samson said, “Let me die with the Philistines!” Then he pushed with all hismight, and down came the temple on the rulers and all the people in it.Thus he killed many more when he died than while he lived.Then his brothers and his father’s whole family went down to get him.They brought him back and buried him between Zorah and Eshtaol in the2tomb of Manoah his father. He had led Israel twenty years.31

The Second LessonRomans 12:1-8I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies asliving sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act ofworship. 2 Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but betransformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to testand approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.3For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think ofyourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with soberjudgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you. 4 Justas each of us has one body with many members, and these members do notall have the same function, 5 so in Christ we who are many form one body,and each member belongs to all the others. 6 We have different gifts,according to the grace given us. If a man’s gift is prophesying, let him use itin proportion to his faith. 7 If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, lethim teach; 8 if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to theneeds of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him governdiligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.A word from your pastor about this Word of GodPaul shows us the motivation for offering our lives as sacrifices, the purposeand point of that kind of living and practical suggestions for ways that wecan carry that out. The motivation is mercy, the purpose is to raise our eyesHeavenward and to see the folly of the ways of this world and the wisdomof the will of our God. Our lives are so much better when we view our livesas God does, acknowledging our need for mercy and then putting thatlifestyle into practice. Interestingly enough, Paul describes seven ways inwhich we can offer ourselves as living sacrifices. This isn’t an exhaustivelist, but it shows us that God will give His Church the gifts it needs when it3needs them. He’s given gifts to you to live as a sacrifice for Him!

The GospelMatthew 16:13-20Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem andsuffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests and teachers ofthe law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.22Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. “Never, Lord!” he said.“This shall never happen to you!”23Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are astumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but thethings of men.”24Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, hemust deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 25 For whoeverwants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will findit. 26 What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeitshis soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?A word from your pastor about this Word of GodJesus says that we should take up our cross and follow Him. To clearlyunderstand what Jesus means with these words, we must learn what theessence of the cross truly is. The cross is everything that I suffer as a resultof my connection and faithfulness to Christ and to His Word. At its heartand core it is a denial of self in favor of Christ and His Word. Jesus speaksclearly about a life of sacrifice, first for Himself and then for His followers.The quality of selfless sacrifice is what characterizes every Christian—mercyis our mark!❶ What makes the cross so burdensome?❷ What makes the cross so beautiful?4 ❸ How will you carry the cross this week with your Savior’s strength?

Message NotesLiving the Gospel: Sacrifice Yourself!A sermon based on Romans 12:1-8Paul makes it clear in view of the wonderful works of salvation of whichhe has been writing, believers must respond with wholeheartedcommitment. Being servants of a God Who loves like that means that thewhole life is to be lived in service to God. Having shown us the kind of lovethat God has for us in His mercy, Paul turns to the kind of conduct thatcharacterizes Christians in their relationship with other believers. It was justas easy for them as it has been for Christians through the centuries to havewrong ideas about themselves and those they meet and to fail in theirconduct as Christians. The apostle shares some considerations that weChristians should always have in mind. Not only does he refer to the waythat believers should act towards other Christians, but he also lays out thepath for the way that believers behave towards those outside the church.After talking about non-conformity and how the old has gone, and thenew improved Christian is here, Paul immediately guards against pride. Thislittle sin causes such great division in the church! Whether your talkingabout the your thoughts on the color of new carpet or comparing spiritualgifts, remember what gives you value; you’ve received just as much mercyas the soul sitting next to you. You, as a living sacrifice, are God’s gift tothe Church and so is the person sitting next to you. That is where we muststart. We are all the same in view of God’s mercy.In sober judgment use the measure of faith to compare differences. At afirst read it sounds like some people have more faith than others so maybethey have more gifts, but that’s not how it works. Some may have moregifts, but that’s according to God’s grace and good pleasure, not your faith.The measuring stick that we use is faith, not any worldly meter. In view ofGod’s mercy the Christian offers all that we have and all that we are as aliving sacrifice to a loving God!5

AnnouncementsIt is spiritually healthy to gather as a family of believers. Startingnext Sunday, we are allowed up to 50% capacity which means we canhave 72 people in the sanctuary. We welcome you back to attending inperson. We will continue to offer worship online for those who are highrisk and need to continue physical distancing.Please wear a face covering to church. In order to comply with ourmayor’s mandate, we kindly ask that you wear a facemask to church.Also, we are required to gather contact information for all attendees, soplease sign your name on the sheet in the church entryway. Find moreinformation at FaithAlaska.com.Catechism class begins this week! On Tuesday, September 8 at5:00pm, we will have our first Catechism class of the school year. TheyCatechumens will have the option to attend in person or online.Parents, catechisms are available at Faith for your students. You mayreceive the materials for class in person, via email or Pastor Chris candrop them off. If you know of someone who still might like to attend,please contact Pastor Chris.Come be alive in Christ! We want to help you grow in your faith atFaith! Our regular Sunday morning Bible study will begin onSeptember 13 at 9:07am and will include the option to participatevirtually. Next week, Pastor Matt Vogt will lead us in a study to kick offthe new season. We will begin two additional Bible studies during theweek: one that will delve deep into difficult topics and doctrines in theBible and another that will touch on topics for those who are newer tothe faith. We’re planning to offer these Bible studies online via Zoom.A survey was sent by email last week for you to weigh in on topicsand times of the week for those Bible studies. If you haven’t respondedyet, we still value your input. Either complete the survey or speak withone of the pastors to share your thoughts.Our pastors are ready to serve you in any way consistent with their office. If you have spiritualproblems or questions, or are interested in church membership please contact one of them.6Pastor Christopher Ewings - Faith Lutheran Church and Iglesia Luterana de Fe en Cristo - PastorChris@FaithAlaska.com - (907) 792-9788Pastor Nathan Wagenknecht - Faith Lutheran Church and Iglesia Luterana de Fe en Cristo - PastorNate@FaithAlaska.com - (817) 428-2356Pastor Pao Moua - Hmong Faith Lutheran Church - PastorMoua@FaithAlaska.com - 891-2640Faith Lutheran Preschool offers a high-quality education in an environment enriched with Christian teachings and values. For moreinformation, contact the office at 563-3499.