St. Matthews Lutheran Church – Danube

The news was distressing to say the least. Confusion and fear reigned. Then they remembered his words (Luke 24:8). In a world filled with confusion and fear, our Savior has words of assurance and hope for you. He was delivered over to death for you. He has paid for your sins in full. He was raised to life so that you might live for all eternity. Celebrate the hope that Jesus brings.

Join us for Worship the Easter Season

St. Matthew’s Danube

Maundy Thursday – April 13

Worship w/communion – 7:30pm

Good Friday – April 14

Service of Darkness – 7:00pm

Easter Sunday – April 16

Sunrise Service – 6:30am

Easter Breakfast – 7:30am

Worship Service – 10:30am 

The Christian Funeral of Geraldine Krueger

Geraldine Lorraine Krueger was called to her eternal home on Tuesday,      December 27, 2016, at the Renville County Hospital in Olivia. Funeral services were held on Friday, December 30, 2016, at 11:00 a.m. at St. Matthew’s       Lutheran Church in Danube.  We give thanks for God’s gift of faith that the LORD gave to Geri.  And we give thanks that she could celebrate one more Christmas with her family and then depart in peace believing in the salvation that Christ Jesus brings.

Joint Council Meeting – St. Matthew’s Danube & St. Matthew Flora

A Joint Council Meeting will be held on January 5 at St. Matthew Flora Twp. The meeting will begin at 7:00pm and we will discuss our joint ministry agreement between the two congregations.  May God continue to bless our work  together in His kingdom.

Offering Envelopes

Offering envelopes have been made available in the back of church. We are thankful for your continued support of the Gospel ministry.  God loves the cheerful giver.

Thrivent Choice Letters

Members of our congregations who are also eligible members of Thrivent  Financial choice program will be contacted to make their choice of how their congregation will make use of Thrivent Choice Dollars that have been allocated to our congregations.  Letters are available to pick up in the back of church for the next few weeks.  Remaining letters will be mailed out to members.  Please complete and return the enclosed form indicating your choice at the time of earliest convenience so that we can distribute those monies to the proper funds.

Annual Meeting

On January 29 St. Matthew’s Danube will hold its annual meeting.  A short voter’s meeting will be held on a Sunday prior to that date to approve the nominating committees list of candidates.

Flora Ladies Aid

The Ladies Aid of St. Matthew Flora Twp will be meeting at Max’s this month on January 5.  The meeting will begin at 12:00pm.  May the LORD bless our time together as we discuss how we can support local and global ministry.

Sunday School Christmas Pageant:

The Sunday School Children will present a special Christmas Pageant on January 15.  The pageant has been reschedule.  We thank the children and the teachers for the work that they put into sharing the good news of Jesus in this special way.  Please join on us on January 15.

St. Matthew’s Evening Circle – Winter Schedule

The ladies of St. Matthew’s Evening Circle have decided to meet in the afternoon for the next three winter months.  Our next meeting will be held at 12:30pm on Wednesday, January 4.

O Lord, hear our prayer and listen to our cry for mercy; in your faithfulness come to our relief.  With deep humility, we come to you at this time when our hearts are burdened with sorrow, grief, and many questions.  Lead us by your Spirit to make faithful use of your Word and Sacraments so that our faith will be strengthened to resist the old evil foe, who seeks to destroy our bodies, souls, and minds.  Help us and all who are grieved because of this death to look to you for peace, hope, and quietness of mind as we face the future.  Lead us in all things and at all times to put our trust in you each day so that finally you will lead us to your eternal glory at your appointed time, through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.  

From WELS Military Devotions: Written by Pastor Paul Ziemer

Give to everyone what you owe them: … if honor, then honor.
Romans 13:6b

It began with a haircut unlike any they had ever received. It continued with a set of clothes that almost fit. It led to something called “basic training” and the thought: I hope I make it through this. That was not the only time the fear of surviving arose. There were more tests, more training, and more chances of failing.

But for some, the question of making it through this took on a more serious edge. Some went on to wonder about making it through the landing on Guadalcanal. Some worried about the beaches at Normandy, and some wondered if they would survive the Frozen Choson of Korea.

Later warriors wondered if they would make it through a year in Southeast Asia. Then came those who worried about Scud attacks and poisonous gas. Still others reported from the Korengal Valley: “God is not here!”

The words, I hope I make it through this! came many times to many minds.

Then came the day when it didn’t matter what the haircut was like, and daily clothes were a matter of choice. Uniforms were packed away with memories. They are now U.S. Military Veterans.

And many found themselves saying: I hope I can make it through this—being a civilian.

What are we to think of these people, these veterans? Of what use are they now? Do they really think they can return to be the civilian they were before that first military haircut?

They cannot. They will always be different. They will look at life differently from the person who was never taught to kill. What they have seen cannot be unseen. What they have done cannot be undone. It is part of them. They are veterans.

It makes no difference what our view might have been about the policy of the government when these were young people in uniform. It matters little what the general attitude is about veterans. What counts is what God says.

God says: “Give to everyone what you owe them: …if honor, then honor.”

We owe our veterans honor. The command is not unlike when our Lord tells us to honor our father and mother. Veterans are God’s gift to the nation they have defended. Like an elderly parent, not all of them are as spry as they once were, not all could leap to our defense any longer.

But they were young once. And for as long as the Lord of the Nations called them to duty, they served as his instrument for our defense.

By honoring our veterans, we are honoring our God.

Prayer: Lord of the nations and Savior of mankind, we thank you for the gift that you have given to America in the form of persons who have spent time in defense of our nation. Some of them were drafted. Some volunteered. But all served. Enable us to see more clearly your heavenly hand in the protection of our nation, and lead us to honor you by honoring those who have served our country honorably. Give America more like them. Amen.

A man who had everything once looked back at his life, the status and wealth that he had worked for and he called them all meaningless.  Solomon, one of the richest men that the ancient world had ever seen talked about the empty pursuit of worldly wealth as a chasing after the wind.  And in the midst of this grand lament, he makes this concession.  ²⁴ A man can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in his work. This too, I see, is from the hand of God, ²⁵ for without him, who can eat or find enjoyment?  ²⁶ To the man who pleases him, God gives wisdom, knowledge and happiness, but to the sinner he gives the task of gathering and storing up wealth to hand it over… – Ecclesiastes 2:24-26

Whether it is our own personal drive or the influence of those around us we often find our own personal identity in what it is that we do and the things that this occupation gains for us.  Tangible creatures that we are we also try to quantify our personal meaning with numbers and other things that we can stack and measure.  How many thousands of dollars a year that we make at our jobs, the number or size of the things that we have, homes, equipment, automobiles, acres of land, all of that, so easily falls into places of importance especially as we live among peers who quantify their lives in such a way.   And so we pause today as we read these words of wisdom to say, “Is this it?!”  “Is this really where I should find my purpose and meaning in life?”

In the grand scheme of history, you and I are mere blips, dots, on this gargantuan timeline, and yet God gives each of us purpose and meaning.  He knows you by name.  Through faith in Jesus he hears the prayers of his believers and he speaks to us through his Word.  The God of the universe stoops down and saves and provides for you and me individually.  God also has given each of us individual gifts to use to his glory as we serve him now and into eternity.   Fill in the roles that God has called you to, use the gifts that your Heavenly Father has passed down to you, know that you are loved in Christ, and know that no matter your station or status in life you have purpose and meaning and eternal riches in Christ Jesus.

When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues  as the Spirit enabled them. (Acts 2:1-4)

         It has been quite a journey, hasn’t it?  We have together walked the road of Jesus’ life here on earth. We stood at the manger in a crude stable inBethlehemwhere Jesus was born, watching as Mary wrapped her tiny baby son in swaddling clothes.  We saw the shepherds come to worship Him, leaving their flocks of sheep in the fields.  Our hearts were filled with joy and thankfulness.

We saw Jesus when He was twelve, talking with the religious leaders in the temple atJerusalem.  We were there at His baptism. We agonized at the pressure of the devil’s temptations to lead Him into sin.

We witnessed His love as He healed the sick, fed the hungry, raised the dead and taught all who came to hear Him through His word, as He still teaches us today.

With heavy hearts we watched as Jesus was captured, beaten, and was sentenced to die on a cross although innocent of any wrong doing.  Our sins were nailed with Him to that cross.  His friends buried His body in a new grave located in a beautiful garden.  We watched as the huge stone sealed His grave.

Our greatest joy was celebrated on Easter Sunday morning when we heard the words of the angel, “He is not here, He is risen.”

Near the end of the forty days Jesus spent here on earth after he rose, He told His disciples to wait inJerusalemto receive power from the Holy Spirit to spread the story of Jesus and the salvation He gives all believers to all people of the world.  On Ascension Day we watched Jesus disappear into the cloud to prepare our home in heaven.

In a few days we will celebrate Pentecost, the celebration of the gift of the Holy Spirit.  Pentecost means “50th” as it happened fifty days after Easter.

We all remember the picture of the tongues of fire appearing on the disciples’ heads.  When I was a child, I thought they looked like little butterflies.  I have always loved butterflies.  Through Baptism and the word the Holy Spirit has come to live in our hearts. The good we do is done through the power of the Holy Spirit.  In a recent devotion from our “Meditations” I read a wonderful sentence well worth remembering:  “The Son speaks, the Spirit teaches.”  The Holy Spirit teaches us through the Word and sacraments.

Going back to butterflies, I like to think of or compare our lives to that of a beautiful butterfly.  We emerge out of the darkness of sin, just as a butterfly emerges from a dark chrysalis, through Baptism.

A young couple sits down to eat at a local restaurant, they order their food, and each one pulls out their cell phone. They barely say one word to each other as she sends some text messages and he checks his Twitter account and then his fantasy league.  When the food arrives his attention is drawn to the 50-inch flat screen TV on the wall behind his date and she goes back to her cell phone and scrolls through her recent Facebook activity. One of the ironies about the entertainment culture we live in is that we often make mindless entertainment more important than the people we really care about. Such distraction can have a negative effect on our human relationships and it can have negative effect on our relationship with God.

A man named Herod stood face to face with his Savior and he wasted that time that he was given because all he cared about was his personal entertainment. He had been wanting to see Jesus because he hoped that he would perform a miracle.  Jesus the Christ, the Savior of the world was standing before Herod and Herod couldn’t see it.  He was lost in his own world of personal entertainment.

God came into this world to save us, and in his grace he comes to spend time with us in his word. Do we see him there? Are we satisfied with the greatest miracle in all of history, or are we easily bored by this story that plays so familiar?  We live in a world that entertainment is pumped at us from every angle, and its full of the new, the now, the present; are we so distracted by this world of activity and entertainment that we are missing out on valuable time with our Savior? The Son of God wants to speak with us, spend time with us, but are underwhelmed by this invitation?

Our congregation, like many others, will gather for special worship services on Good Friday (March 25) and Easter Sunday, in order to see how Jesus suffered and died and rose again to pay for the sins of the whole world so that we may enjoy eternal life.  Consider how you may spend some quality time with God this coming Holy Week, for this is the all-important, timeless, life-changing true story that God wants to share with you.  The Son of God stands in our place, mistreated so that we would not be treated as our sins deserved; convicted and crucified so that we might be set free from sin and death and hell.  Come and spend some quality time with your Savior.    Hear his words of forgiveness and love.  Rejoice in his glorious resurrection that gives you life!

²⁰ Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, ²¹ to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen. – Ephesians 3:20-21

To God be the glory! Look at what God has done among us!  Look at how God has blessed Little Lambs!  We did our best to plan and promote.  We publicized and prayed.  And God in his goodness sent us a director, led parents to find us and entrust us with their children.  It was by his goodness and grace that we opened our doors in 2014.  And as we felt our way through our first full year of operation in 2015 we learned a lot, we continued to reach out, and we prayed that God would continue to bless and grow our new ministry.  We prayed that he would bless our efforts to reach out with the good news of Jesus to even more precious little lambs and their families.  We knew there was need for childcare and Christian education in our communities and we had in mind that this ministry had promise, but who would have thought that in such a short time we would have been met with such success.  Who would have thought that we would have been able to expand our facilities, fill nearly all our spots for the coming summer, find additional staff, and reduce the yearly amount that we would ask from our congregations by $10,000 per congregation.  It’s amazing!  What a blessing!  Praise to the one who can do far more than we ask or imagine! We praise God for his power and the work that he has been doing through us!

What a wonderful and powerful and amazing God we have, but even the disciples – who saw him walk on water and calm the storm, who saw him heal the sick and change water into wine – had to be chastised for their lack of faith.  We too occasionally limit our God and his power in our life.  There were times in the past year that the most fervent supporter of Little Lambs probably had their doubts.  But in his kindness and love our Savior speaks to us through his word, “O you of little faith!”  The Savior God who calmed the storm with the sound of his voice, who fed the five thousand with his almighty power, he is with us.  When you doubt or fear that our ministry efforts may not be worthwhile, or that your daughter won’t listen to your rebuke, or my neighbor will reject my invitation to worship, remember who stands with you in faith.  When you waiver in your faith when the waves of life crash into you, when trouble hits your marriage, when illness strikes, when death sweeps away a loved one, remember that he is there.  The one who has power over the wind and the waves, who has power over sin and death, he is with you.  He stands with you in faith.  He lifts you up and strengthens you through his word and Sacrament, and he is the one who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us.  Let us follow him in faith.  Let us trust that God can do wonderful and amazing things for us and through us.  And let us give him the glory, “to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations.”  Above all may God remind us of his great love for us in Christ.  The God who can do the impossible would do the impossible as he entered this world through the womb of a virgin.  The almighty God took on flesh and became one of us.  He resisted every temptation.  He endured the pains of this world and the pains of the cross and then took and conquered death to give us life.  To him be glory in Christ Jesus and may we pass this amazing message of salvation from one generation to the next.

What a thrill it has been to be a part of this ministry at Little Lambs.  To see this mission take off and grow as it has is a wonderful reminder of God’s power at work among us.  We thank those who used their talents and gifts; our faithful director, the members of the governing board, the pastors and the volunteers.  We are so grateful for those who invest their time and energy to serve as instruments of God’s power and grace.  We give thanks for those who have supported this work financially and with their prayers.  But of course, the glory and the praise belongs first and foremost to our God.  He is the one who gives us our gifts, our intelligent to plan and the abilities to carry out these plans.  And he is the one who blesses our plans as he sees fit.  He is the one who possesses that wonderful power to do even more than we ask or imagine.   He is the one who took on flesh to save us and give us the peace that transcends understanding and the joys of heaven that extend far beyond what we can ask or even imagine.  May God bless us at St. Matthew’s and at Little Lambs as we carry out our mission of sharing this good news of everlasting joy and life through Jesus.

In Christ,

Pastor Mike Kuschel

January 31, 2015

Annual reports are available in the back of church.  May the Lord continue to bless the gospel ministry being carried out at St. Matthew’s.

The righteous will flourish like a palm tree, they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon; planted in the house of the Lord, they will flourish in the courts of our God. They will still bear fruit in old age, they will stay fresh and green, proclaiming, “The Lord is upright; he is my Rock, and there is no wickedness in him.” – Psalm 92:14.

His brilliant eyes sharp with intelligence and years of life experience suddenly become striking in a different way.  For a brief moment – even though his gaze is firmly fixed into his pastor’s eyes – those eyes of his drift away through time and space to the horrors of the battlefield of World War II.  So many  colleagues, friends, brothers in arms, men with whom he stood shoulder to shoulder with, dead.  Their blood was mixed with the sand on the shores of   Normandy’s beach.  Their lives were suddenly taken when all he sustained was a few scratches and dirt and dust blown up into his face.  There is a chill in his voice as he recalls the thunderous sounds of war even on the days and nights surrounding Christmas.  Peace on earth and good will toward men is something that is at times difficult for this aged believer to grasp when he has seen so closely the horrible atrocities of war.

But those eyes, which have seen so much of a sinful world, look with faith upon a Savior in Jesus Christ who grants peace and joy even to those who have seen so much strife and pain and sorrow.  Those eyes, pained by the things that he has seen, are filled with blessed contentment as he considers the unseen: the joys of heaven and the face of his Savior waiting for him.  Peace  on earth given through the word of Christ, God’s gracious favor and good will seen in the sacraments, shine forth in the darkness as God’s precious means of grace and produce a living hope that emanates like rays of brilliant light through this man whose faith shines as the very light of Christ.

The man stares into his pastor’s eyes once again, this time as he lays in his hospital bed.  He has been sustained by his gracious God through yet another close call.  His health and well being are still uncertain and yet all is calm, all is bright – he is even laughing – for he is at peace.  He knows his eternity is secure.  He is thankful for his faithful God who has taken care of him through all these years and most of all has given his Son Jesus to bring the light of salvation to this dark world.  He is grateful for the God who justifies him freely by his grace.  He is saved by faith in Jesus and is assured of these truths through the pages of Scripture, through the message shared by his pastor.  There is peace is his heart, in his eyes, and on his face for there is peace for all those who believe in Jesus.

I am so thankful that I have come to know this man and for the blessed encouragement that I have received through his example of faith.  Maybe you know someone like the man I described.  Within the next few months we will commemorate Veterans Day, we will pause to give thanks, and finally we will rejoice in the peace and light of Christmas.  In these months and weeks that lead up to a Christmas tree adorned with light let us take time to give thanks to God for all that he has done for us, including God’s gift of fellow believers who in faith stand like mighty trees adorned with the light of Christ and the blessed fruits of faith.

In soccer, there are all kinds of challenges.  One such challenge is: Coming from behind to win.

It is hard to stick to your game plan when you are down.  Usually, frustration and desperation set in, and we start playing differently and losing confidence.

It is also hard to stick to our game plan, and live like the kind of people God made us to be when things get difficult in life.  We go through hardships, we are getting beat, and we forget that Jesus already won the victory for us!  And so we start living lives that don’t trust.  Lives that are hopeless.  We forget that we are going to win in the end.  We live in the kind of frustration and desperation that a team getting beat badly does.

There is no need for that.  Jesus won.  And He is coming back!

And because Jesus wins, we are going to win!

So let’s live life with the sure hope and confidence that we are on Jesus’ team.  We are on the winning team.  The victory is ours!  Life has meaning and purpose and joy!  And we have one sure way of dealing with every hardship! Faith that JESUS WINS.  And that He’s coming back.

“Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses.”   – 1 Timothy 6:12