1. Life Event about Sex Education
Linda Bartlet, former president of Lutherans For Life and author of the recent book The Failure of Sex Education in the Church: Our Mistaken Identity and Compromised Purity, talks about the upcoming Life Event at Peace Lutheran Church on Saturday, November 7.
About the Event:
On Saturday, November 7, Linda Bartlett, former president of Lutherans For Life and author of the recent book The Failure of Sex Education in the Church: Our Mistaken Identity and Compromised Purity, will be joined by a panel of local clergy at Peace Lutheran Church from 6 -9 p.m., to engage the community in an open dialogue surrounding topics that couldn’t be more timely:
-Whose job is it to teach our children about sex?
-What can we do when their public school insists on teaching it to them?
-Is it OK to assume the Christian schools are teaching it the right way?
-Why are they teaching it at all?
-Why does chastity within our culture and among our Christian youth seem less valued than ever before?
-How can we help our children understand what their true identity is as a child of God and how that should guide their thoughts, words, and deeds?
The clergy panel will include Rev. Todd Wilken, Rev. Dr. Kevin Golden, Rev. Jon Furgeson, and Rev. Dr. Benjamin Mayes. Parents, pastors, and anyone who works with youth will greatly benefit from this discussion. A light dinner will be provided during the event. RSVP is recommended but not required. Please direct questions or RSVP to peacelifeministry@gmail.com. Peace Lutheran Church is located at 737 Barracksview Road, St. Louis, 63125.
2. Daily Lectionary
Rev. Brian Stark of Trinity Lutheran Church in Holton, Kansas looks at Philippians 1:1-20 “The Advance of the Gospel” and “To Live in Christ”.
3. Matins Sermonette
Today’s sermonette is by Rev. Brian Stark of Trinity Lutheran Church in Holton, Kansas.
Philippians 1:1-20
Greeting
1 Paul and Timothy, servants[a] of Christ Jesus,
To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, with the overseers[b] and deacons:[c]
2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Thanksgiving and Prayer
3 I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, 4 always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, 5 because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. 6 And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. 7 It is right for me to feel this way about you all, because I hold you in my heart, for you are all partakers with me of grace,[d] both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel. 8 For God is my witness, how I yearn for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus. 9 And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, 10 so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, 11 filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.
The Advance of the Gospel
12 I want you to know, brothers,[e] that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel, 13 so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard[f] and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ. 14 And most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more bold to speak the word[g] without fear.
15 Some indeed preach Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from good will. 16 The latter do it out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. 17 The former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely but thinking to afflict me in my imprisonment. 18 What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice.
To Live Is Christ
Yes, and I will rejoice, 19 for I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance, 20 as it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death.
Footnotes:
- Philippians 1:1 Or slaves (for the contextual rendering of the Greek word doulos, see Preface)
- Philippians 1:1 Or bishops; Greek episkopoi
- Philippians 1:1 Or servants, or ministers; Greek diakonoi
- Philippians 1:7 Or you all have fellowship with me in grace
- Philippians 1:12 Or brothers and sisters. The plural Greek word adelphoi (translated “brothers”) refers to siblings in a family. In New Testament usage, depending on the context, adelphoi may refer either to men or to both men and women who are siblings (brothers and sisters) in God’s family, the church; also verse 14
- Philippians 1:13 Greek in the whole praetorium
- Philippians 1:14 Some manuscripts add of God
