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Be Still, Wait, Watch

Good morning!

If you were not able to tune in last night on facebook to our Midweek devotion, you can still find it on our facebook page at facebook.com/stpaulclintonville. It is also now uploaded to our youtube page and on our website here:  http://www.stpaulclintonville.com/sermons/2020/4/2/april-1-midweek-lent-devotion . At that link, you will also find the service bulletin and passion history reading for this week!

I hope that these devotions are helping you still feel connected to your church, to your pastor, and most importantly, to your Savior! It is definitely not the same as being gathered together in person. However, what a blessing it is that the Lord provides a way for us to still hear the same Word, pray together, and "gather" in spirit. 

I also thought I would direct you to an awesome article I read earlier today about three Hebrew words that repeat so often in the Psalms and throughout the Old Testament. Those words tell us to be still, to wait, and to watch. You can find that article here: https://www.1517.org/articles/three-hebrew-handholds-in-a-spinning-crisis?utm_source=New+Master+List+%286%2F23%2F19%29&utm_campaign=fe8cd77ee1-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2018_11_19_07_23_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_752a9844e8-fe8cd77ee1-462879325&mc_cid=fe8cd77ee1&mc_eid=64ecfc8d1c

May God bless and keep you this day and every day. God is with you.

In His service,

Pastor 

Today Is the Day the Lord Has Made

Brothers and sisters in Christ,

This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it. - Psalm 118:24

Good morning! Maybe you have several reasons this morning to not feel good. It is a bit dreary outside. We are still to be "safer-at-home." You can't come to church to see your family of believers and worship in person yet today. 

However, there are even more reasons to rejoice. Today is still a day that the Lord has made. Let us live it to his glory! Today is another day of God's grace. Let us revel in his love! Today is an opportunity for us to learn more about God and rejoice in the great things he has and continues to do for us, so let us worship the Lord!

There are several ways for you to worship with your family at St. Paul this morning:

RADIO - Tune in to WTCH AM 960 at 8:30am. Pastor Buelow was invited to lead the service hosted by our sister church, Friedens Lutheran, in Bonduel. Excited to be a part of a radio broadcast for the first time!

YOUTUBE - Video will be posted at 9am sharp! Here is the link: https://youtu.be/BITTN-zfbwI. If you click it before 9am, the video will not appear yet. It is set to appear right at 9 so we can watch it together then! It will also be available any time after 9am and throughout the week.

OUR WEBPAGE - hover over the resources tab and select "sermons." There you will find the post that will have the video from youtube as well. Again, the video will be live at 9am and after. The bulletin is linked into that post if you would like to follow along.

If you know of someone who could use comfort and hope during these times and you are wondering if they can be added to these emails or get more information, please let me know and I can add them to this email chain and get them more Jesus! 

God bless your Sunday! I am with you in Spirit and in prayer. And the Lord is always with you.

In His service,

Pastor

Safer-In-God's-Hands

With yesterday’s announcement by Gov. Evers of a new order called "Safer at Home," you may be feeling a little more claustrophobic. Maybe you even feel a bit afraid on how long this whole situation will last. Maybe you are worried about the effects this will have on our economy in Wisconsin, including your employment and your way of life. Maybe you are growing more anxious about the virus itself getting closer to home. I have had many of those thoughts running through my head as well. But when we have fear crowding into our thoughts, what must we do? We must return to our God and his Word and we will find comfort.

Today God gave me comfort with these words and I pray they bring comfort to you as well:

But I trust in you, Lord; I say, “You are my God.”My times are in your hands; 

Psalm 31:14-15

I had a dear member today tell me, "You know what I say to my wife every day, Pastor? I tell her that there is only one person who will get us through this and it is not the medical professionals, it is not our government. HE has to see us through and he will." What true words! I was so thankful he said it to me because I needed to hear it said to me. What a beautiful truth this is in uncertain times. Whose hands are we in? We are in the hands of the Lord. He, ultimately, is working behind the scenes to accomplish his good will for the world and especially for his children. He will see us through this. Our times are in his hands. 

So while we listen to what we are being ordered to do for the health of our neighbors, let us also see the hand of God protecting us, reminding us of his presence, urging us to call to him, and hoping we will cling to his promises. 

Remember who you trust in. You trust in the Lord. He will do whatever it takes to save you... especially when the plot thickens!

Some Announcements

With yesterday’s announcement, you may be wondering if we will still have some open office hours today. The answer is yes! Our church is classified under "Essential Businesses and Operations" to which I glorify God! Hearing God's Word and being a community of faith is essential to who we are as Christians and as human beings! I am very glad that this is at least acknowledged in the recent order by Evers and Co.. The applicable sections of the order to prove that exemption are attached so you can read it too if you wish. I double checked!;) 

So today, if you would like to bring in your offerings, pick up your mail and other resources, receive communion, and/or receive some spiritual encouragement or counsel, I will be at church from 10a-12p, 5:30pm-6:30pm and 7-8pm.

We will also be livestreaming a midweek devotion and prayer this evening at 6:30pm if you would like to join us on our facebook page (click on the facebook logo above). That devotion and prayer will also be posted after the fact on this website (under the resources/sermons tab).

May God bless your evening and please, more than anything else, put your hope in God in these uncertain and uneasy times. He will see us through! Our times are in his hands.

In His service,

Pastor

Faith, Hope & Love

Dear brothers and sisters,

I apologize if I am overloading your mailboxes, but want to keep you posted on what your congregation is doing and how you can serve and be served with the Word of God and acts of kindness!

Yesterday Livestream Service

I hope some of you were able to tune into our livestream broadcast yesterday on our facebook page. You can still find the video there if you missed it yesterday. You can also check out our youtube page (search st. paul clintonville and subscribe to save the website and get an update when a video is posted) or go directly to our website, hover over the resources tab, and select sermons. You will find all past sermons as well as each new video posted there within a day. Here is the link for that page: http://www.stpaulclintonville.com/sermons

Sunday Service

This Sunday Dave and I hope to have the full service recorded for you live on both facebook and youtube so that you can worship right along with us as if you were present at our normal time of 9am! I will have the bulletin posted on the main page of the website and sent to you by email before the service so you can follow along. Once the livestream is over, those videos will still be available after the fact and you can view them at any time.

Other Opportunities

Next week Wednesday, I plan to have a few sets of "open hours" for members to come to church for spiritual encouragement, mail, offering drop off, and/or personal communion. You will be able to arrive at any time during those hours as long as we have not exceeded the limit of 10 inside at the time... if we have, Dave Schley or I will simply ask you to come back in a little bit or to wait a few minutes. The hope is this will provide a way for you to remain connected to the Lord's Supper and give you an opportunity to touch base with me if you have a concern or need guidance that I can help you with. Those hours on Wednesdays will be 10am-12pm and 5:30pm-6:30pm and 7:00pm-8:00pm. 

Offerings

If you are able and would like to still give faithfully during this time, there are a couple of ways you can do that. You can mail your offering to the church's address at 31 N. Park St.. You can drop it off during those open office hours or another time if you call pastor and let him know when you can come. Or you can directly drop off a check or amount to fox communities credit union and apply it to the church's account. I will ask Dave Heup for online options that may be available as well. Again, this is not something you should feel obligated to do, but if you would like to keep supporting the ministry of your church and give to the Lord, there are opportunities for you to still do that!

Service

One of the hardest parts of the time right now is the isolation it brings especially to those who are higher risk to the virus. On top of this, we also have members who do not use or have internet access and are not receiving all the updates, devotionals, and connection through livestream, email and social media. We want them to feel connected to each other, to us, and to Jesus as well! The question is... how do we do that?

One way we think we can do that is by dropping off "mail" by their door. That mail would include printed copies of these emails, the bulletin, the sermon, and any other notes or ideas you have! Part of this effort will require some help from you! I would love to assemble a "team" of willing deliverers who can bring these materials and correspondence to those members who are disconnected from others and the internet. Do I have any volunteers? My thought is this can be done sometime between Friday afternoon and before Saturday evening. That way they can have materials after they have been printed and prepared and before our normal time of worship on Sunday. If you are willing and able to be an "angel" (messenger) then respond to this email with, "I want to be an angel!" Or you can simply say, "I would like to help!" There shouldn't be that many deliveries to make, but having a larger team makes light work. Let me know!

Also let me know if you would like to be added to the delivery list for these materials or if you would like a volunteer to pick up your offering.

One other thing I would like to ask you all is, do you need any needed supplies? Are there any of you, because of health concerns, who need help getting groceries or anything else? If so, we could also create a team to shop and deliver those supplies to you as well. Let me know if there are any other ways that we can help each other during this time! 

Faith, Hope, and Love

We get to love God and neighbor as a reflection of the hope we have as Christians even in times like this. We know we have everything in Christ and nothing can take that from us. That gives us the motivation to love and serve one another no natter what. God be praised!

As I close this "novel";)... I would like to leave you with these words form Hebrews that have been on my mind as we consider how we can continue to spur one another on to love, serve and gather around the Word together, even as the Day approaches:

Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. 24 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, 25 not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching. Hebrews 10:23-25 

In His service,

Pastor

Time for Home Devotions and Digital Worship

Dear brothers and sisters in the faith, 

Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always. 1 Chronicles 16:11 

No matter the situation. No matter the crisis. No matter the chances, statistics, time frame, or ramifications. Always look to the Lord and his strength. Seek his face always. Why? Because He is always strong. Because He is always waiting for you to ask him for help. Because of Jesus, God is always waiting to rain down grace upon grace to you. Today is no different. As you wonder how this situation will continue to unfold, seek the face of your Savior. Read the Word. Remember how God delivered his people time and time again and finally, how he delivered us all from our sins, our death, and our fear! He will deliver us from this too.

In the meantime, we have had to make some decisions under our current climate. As you may have heard, Governor Evers has issued an order for no more than 10 people to gather together. We will therefore not be having services or any church activities in person until the order is lifted. We pray that time may come soon! 

However, the need for God's Word in your life and the lives of all our neighbors has only increased! As we are faced with trying times, God calls us to draw near to him for safety, peace and leadership. So even though we will not be having in-person worship for now, that does not mean that you should be any further from the Word. Have devotions with your family. If you have your meditations booklet, read the devotion and read the extra section referenced at the top. If you have the YouVersion Bible App, begin a plan and read the devotions and scripture associated with it. If you have the WELS app, or if you click on this link: https://wels.net/serving-you/devotions/daily-devotions/, you can read daily devotions there. 

Along with those daily things and opportunities for your family to grow closer together to each other and God's Word, I pray that you will be able to tune in to our sermons which will still be posted every Sunday. The exact details of how we will be doing that will be ironed out in the next day or so... but Dave Heup and I will get it streamlined and we may be able to have a livestream service to you by tomorrow night. As we work on that, we will update you so that hopefully, you can tune in live with me and your brothers and sisters in faith, and we can worship together... not in the same building... but still close.

I am excited that in this digital age, we can have this extra opportunity to connect with fellow believers and encourage one another by our shared experience around the Word especially when the going gets tough. 

So in short... no Worship, Bible Study or any other activity at church at this time. However, stay tuned for ways to connect with me and your church family to still get the sermon and hopefully a shortened service that we can tune into together live. 

You can always reach out to me by email or phone call at 7154603148 if you need assistance, have a prayer request or if you simply need to talk. I and your church family are here for you. 

May God bless and keep you this night and may you remember to always seek his face that shines upon you!

In His grace,

Pastor

P.S. Click here to read a recent update from our Synod President that is both comforting and informative.

Stay Tuned and Stay Rooted

Update for 3/17/2020

How are you? Ok? It has been a crazy couple of days, even couple of weeks already! I am praying for all of you that, during this situation, you are not feeling too overwhelmed or afraid. While there is reason for caution and concern, let us remember that in every situation, we can be at peace because of our Savior. Nothing can take away our faith in a God who is above all things, who uses all things for his good purposes, who knows us intimately, and who loves us more than anyone in this world. He has not abandoned us nor will he. He is a faithful God. He is with you. 

All of that being said, I definitely understand that this is uncharted territory for us and as such, brings with it a lot of stress and anxiety that is new and ... weird. We also have to wrestle with tough questions of how to behave, how to obey, how to worship, how to serve, and how to live. I don't have answers to all those questions but am wrestling with them just like you are right now. In some ways our answers to those questions are harder than those who do not believe... since not only do we have to wrestle with what our authorities are asking us to do (which we should obey!), and what our medical experts are recommending (which is wise for us to apply for good order and assisting in whatever manner possible to serve and protect our neighbor), but we also must wrestle with what God tells us in his Word (and our need to constantly be nourished by that Word and the Sacrament!). We get to practice our confidence in these uncertain times that we don't rely on human wisdom, statistics, and what we can do, but instead our hope that things will be ok ultimately relies solely on our good and merciful God. How can we practice that confidence as a body of believers, as neighbors, as Christians? This is a good question and also a great opportunity!

In response to that question, I hope to send you another email later today to update you on our plans for worship and how to get the Word to you. I am staying up to date with what our Synodical leaders, other pastors, and area groups are doing to respond to our current situation. Later tonight, I will be meeting with our elders and our church president to discuss how we here at St. Paul can best react to this situation with wisdom, obedience to authorities, common sense, medical recommendations, a recognition for our need of God's Word (especially during this time!), and finally a firm confidence in God. 

The one who healed the blind man, who raised Lazarus, who used the evil intentions of wicked men, the corruption of our world, and the filth of the human condition to demonstrate his love, his power, and his victory over sin, death and the devil, will also use this virus and the affect it has had on our country, community and congregation to bless us and to draw us closer to him. He WILL defeat this by-product of a broken world and deliver us from ALL evil. 

From home for now, may all of you find comfort in your God. Take this extra time at home to gather around the Word of God. Families, read the Word and pray together. Everyone, be a calm pillar of hope in this raging storm for the people in your life, not by your power or ability, but by keeping your eyes fixed on Jesus, the author and perfecter of your faith! 

Here are some prayer requests that you can add to your own: 

  • Please pray for the elderly who are compromised and at high risk of death if infected with the flu or the COVID-19.

  • Please also pray for the health care workers who put it all on the line treating us for our aliments during this crises.

  • Please pray for all our brothers and sisters in Christ, that they remain vigilant and monitor their health.  

  • Please pray for our governing authorities, that they may make wise decisions on how to react to this crisis.

  • Please pray for our communities, that we may band together to serve one another, love one another, and be calm for one another.

  • Please pray that God give you the strength and the confidence YOU need to weather this storm and to carry out your callings.

Again, stay tuned for more updates on our worship plans, other functions, and other opportunities to hear and live the Truth. 

I love you all in Christ Jesus. He is with you always.

In His grace,

Pastor

P.S. Read this too! vvv

Mark 4:35-41

That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.” 36 Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. 37 A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. 38 Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?”
39 He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.
40 He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?”
41 They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”

Be Still

Grace, mercy and peace ARE yours in Christ. Please read these words from Psalm 46 and take a deep breath with me:

1 God is our refuge and strength,
    an ever-present help in trouble.
2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way
    and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
3 though its waters roar and foam
    and the mountains quake with their surging.
4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
    the holy place where the Most High dwells.
5 God is within her, she will not fall;
    God will help her at break of day.
6 Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall;
    he lifts his voice, the earth melts.
7 The Lord Almighty is with us;
    the God of Jacob is our fortress.
8 Come and see what the Lord has done,
    the desolations he has brought on the earth.
9 He makes wars cease
    to the ends of the earth.
He breaks the bow and shatters the spear;
    he burns the shields with fire.
10 He says, “Be still, and know that I am God;
    I will be exalted among the nations,
    I will be exalted in the earth.”
11 The Lord Almighty is with us;
    the God of Jacob is our fortress.

Whether you have tried to or not, you can't help but hear about the Coronavirus that is going around and the measures going into place to be proactive in any way we can. It can be quite overwhelming. It can be frightening. I feel it too.

However, what I keep reminding myself and I hope all of you remind yourselves is this: Our God has not changed... therefore nothing has changed for us. We still have a God who is our refuge and strength. WE still have a God who loves us. We still have a God who does all the things that Psalm 46 describes. Read those beautiful words again. Nothing stands in the way for him to be there for his people and to be our God who is still in control. That is why we can breathe. We can be still and know that HE is God. I am so thankful for that! I pray that this psalm as well as the reality of your faith gives you hope and a broader perspective. While this virus and the news about it may cause us to be afraid, let us put our lives and our hope in our God who will be with us. Therefore, we can BE STILL.

Pastor Buelow

Lent Is Not Fantasy, It Is Your Redemption History

Peter, one of the 12 disciples, had been with Jesus since the beginning. He had now outlasted some of his brothers, who were killed for their faith. He had even lived long enough to hear rumors from younger people who doubted that Jesus had ever existed at all. It was time for him to speak and to testify then and now to what he knew to be true:

To be sure, we were not following cunningly devised fables when we made known to you the powerful appearance of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For he received honor and glory from God the Father, when the voice came to him from within the Majestic Glory, saying, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. We heard this voice, which came out of heaven when we were with him on the holy mountain. 2 Peter 1:16-18

Peter stakes his life on what he saw. Jesus is real. His power was real. God coming to our world to walk with us was real. This is not just a story. This is not a fantasy. All of it really happened. Peter would eventually be killed because he refused to deny the reality of Jesus.

This Sunday we are going to talk about that real story, starting from that moment on the mountain of transfiguration, where Jesus shone like the sun. From there we are going to follow Jesus, a man and also God, to another mountain where he will willingly die for the sins of the world. He does that for you and for me, so that we, like Peter, could have a living hope, even if we die!

That is what Lent is all about, recognizing our need for a Savior and then seeing that Savior do everything we need him to do to have life everlasting.

Join us Sunday at 9 as we celebrate the Transfiguration of our Lord in worship and then have Bible Study and Sunday School at 10:20am.

Then we begin Lent with Ash Wednesday, this coming Wednesday, February 26, with supper at 5:30pm and worship at 6:30pm. This will be a communion service. Wednesday services will continue throughout Lent (until April 1). We will also have a Maundy Thursday Communion Service on April 9th at 6:30pm and a Good Friday Service, April 10, at 6:30pm. Easter Sunday is April 12th with two services, a Sunrise Service at 6:30am and our Festival Service at 9am. In between, from 7:30-8:45am, we will have an Easter Breakfast open to all.

We would love to have you join us this Lent to remember the history of our God’s passion for us as fact not fiction… because this is not fantasy. This is our redemption history. Our eternity depends on it all being true!

- Pastor Buelow

Christmas for Kids 2019

We had a blast with this year’s Christmas for Kids! It was great having fun with the kids, being goofy with them, celebrating Jesus with them. Here are some of the pictures from the day…