Sermon and Announcements October 13

CERRO GORDO CHURCH OF THE BRETHREN

October 13, 2024

WHY?

Psalm 86:1-11

How often over the years have you asked in one way or another the

question, why? For those of you who are parents, it has been said that

the most often thing kids say is, “Why?” Depending on the question

sometimes we can give an answer that may end the questioning, but at

other times the answer may simply lead to another question of why.

As Christians it isn’t wrong to ask our Heavenly Father the question,

why? The verses we looked at this morning in Psalms is King David both

asking the question why and also saying to God, “I know you can help

me understand. Please help me understand why.”

Throughout the Old Testament are stories of people who had to be

asking God why. Adam and Eve shouldn’t have asked God the question

why, but I bet they did when they got in trouble in the Garden of Eden.

Moses asked God, why me? Abraham and Sarah asked, “Why haven’t

we been able to have the children you promised?” Joseph was sold to

those in a caravan by his brothers for simply being honest. I am sure he

asked God why. Of course, God eventually gave Joseph his answer.

Think of Daniel, of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, they got in

trouble for being faithful to God. “Why God?” Job’s incredible story,

Esther who was asking God, why me? We could go on and on from the

Old Testament.

Then there was Lazarus’ sister who cried out to Jesus, “Why? If only you

had been here earlier?” On this occasion Jesus answered their prayers

in a powerful way. After Jesus ascended back to the Father before it

was all said and done, all of his disciples (apostles) were killed for the

cause of Christ but one. Stephen faithfully understood the big picture. It

is not about now; it is about eternity. But there had to be questions by

both the apostles, as well as the church of why.

Part of the reason I am sharing this message today is because of the

storms that have hit the east over the past couple of weeks. I guarantee

you there are a lot of people asking the question, “Why? What have we

done to deserve this?”

I do not know how many of you watch TV shows that might have St.

Jude Children’s Hospital commercials on them, but there was one in the

past in which a mother of a young child is saying, “Why does this

happen? They haven’t done anything that should have caused this?”

I am pretty sure every single one of you has faced a situation in which

you felt you could honestly ask God the question, “Why?” Sometimes

we might be able to see things we did or didn’t do that brought those

things on when it is about you or me. If it is about someone else, we

need to be careful about coming up with reasons for their situation.

Sometimes we may honestly have to accept the fact we may never

know why things happen as they do. By the strength of the Holy Spirit,

we can remain faithful in spite of the times in our lives we do not

understand why.

David was both admitting to God he did not understand why things

were happening as they were and asking for God’s mercy and grace to

see him through. In Psalm 86:12-13 David says this, “I will praise you, O

Lord my God, with all my heart; I will glorify your name forever. For

great is your love toward me; you have delivered me from the depths

of the grave.” While he may not have understood all that was

happening, he knew God loved him and would deliver him.

So, while we may daily be asking God the question why, God wants us

to stay strong knowing he loves us and will deliver us in his timing in his

way.

To close this morning, I want to pay a song (Faithfully) for you by a

Christian artist named Toby Mac. It has been over a year ago now that

he faced one of the most difficult things a parent can ever face: the loss

of a child. Any loss of a child is difficult, but this loss was especially hard

for this man who had dedicated his life to reaching out to youth with

the message of Christ. Toby’s songs have always been about God’s love,

mercy and grace, how we are loved by God. What made this loss even

more difficult was that his son committed suicide. Eventually God led

him to write a song about his journey. This song is an honest look at

where he has been since the loss of his son and where God is leading

him.

As we pray for the victims of the hurricanes and as you are looking at

different situations you have, or are you asking God why about today, I

pray this song will be used by God to build your strength and give you

the courage to not lose heart and never turn from God no matter what. 

Pastor Larry

Announcements:

Sunday School 9:00

Tuesday 9:30 Bible Study

Wednesday, October 24 12:00 Women's Lunch--meal provided

--College care packages will be assembled in early November.

Please have snacks at church by November 3. (6 or 7 students)

--Issues of The Daily Bread are available. Please take one.

--November/December newsletter deadline: October 30

Pastor Larry Traxler (217) 454-2362

Donation Box for September: utilities

First Sundays: Food Bank donations

Keep in Your Prayers

Shirley Krall; Bobby’s father; Alan Baker; Ruth Siburt; Dorthea

Wood; Mike and Kathy Gentry; Steve Needham; Larry Traxler;

Nancy Fansler; Stacie Warren; Nancy Gorrell; Nora Hanaver;

Ron and Kathleen Petersen; Doug Larrick; Shirley Clarkson;

David and Jan Bower; Debbie Garvey Leibrock; Mike and Carol

Seidenstricker; Adiline Young; Mayo and Darlene Hanaver;

many unspoken requests; victims of shootings and of natural

disasters; shut-ins; the Nigerian church; the Haitian church;

those in the middle of war and violence; military and other

services and their families; Brethren Volunteer Service workers;

Disaster project workers; victims of Helene and Milton

District Prayer Calendar: Pray for the Neighborhood (Boulder

Hill) congregation and for the work of the Brethren Historical

Library and Archives in Elgin.

September 29 Sermon and Announcements

 CERRO GORDO CHURCH OF THE BRETHREN

September 29, 2024

God’s Promise of Salvation

1 Thessalonians 5:9-11

The promise of salvation is a continuation of the promised result that

happens when we activate God’s promise from last week, forgiveness.

The biblical definition of salvation is the saving of human beings from

sin and its’ consequences-which include death and separation from

God-by Christ’s death and resurrection, and the justification entailed by

this salvation. That is a detailed description of what salvation really is.

For the promise of salvation to be real in the life of a believer there are

six different steps or stages that take place.

1. Hear the gospel.

2. Believe the gospel

3. Repent of sins

4. Confess faith in Jesus Christ

5. Be baptized

6. Be faithful until death

For the promise of salvation to be flowing through a Christian these 6

either will have happened or should still be happening. Let us take a

few minutes to look at each of these and see what you think.

The first place each Christian must start is to hear the gospel. That is to

hear that God came to earth in human form. Jesus lived a sin-free life.

Jesus as the perfect lamb was the ultimate sacrifice for every person

that believes. That last part gets into the second step for salvation. That

is to believe God exists and really paid the price for our sins, which

leads to step 3. The importance to admit to or confess our sins to God.

God doesn’t require us to confess our sins to everyone we see. He only

expects us to admit our sins to him. There may be times God leads you

to admit sin to another person but that is only at the Holy Spirit’s

prompting. Step 4 has to do with the 3 earlier steps. At some point you

may be led to make a public confession of your faith. Once again that is

as the Lord has led. Step 5 most often involves that public confession.

As an outward expression of your faith, God most likely will lead you to

be baptized as a symbol of old things being washed away and being a

new creature in Christ. Step 6 and the final step is to stay strong in the

faith until your time on this earth is over.

These are 6 steps or stages of a persons walk with the Lord that

confirms that the promise of salvation is real in the life of a believer. In

the midst of trials, our salvation is secure. Even though King David

didn’t know how salvation would come to believers as completely and

as powerfully as it did through Jesus Christ, he understood the promise

of salvation just the same.

In Psalm 62:1-7 he says this, “My soul finds rest in God alone; my

salvation comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is

my fortress I will never be shaken. How long will you assault a man?

Would all of you throw him down--this leaning wall, this tottering

fence? They fully intend to topple him from his lofty place; they take

delight in lies. With their mouths they bless, but in their heart they

curse. Find rest, oh my soul in God alone; my hope comes from him. He

alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress I will not be shaken.

My salvation and my honor depend on God; he is my mighty rock, my

refuge. Trust in him at all times O people; pour out your hearts to him,

for God is our refuge.” So even when the things weren’t going as King

David hoped he knew the promise of salvation is mentioned in the

Bible.

I thought about reading many of the examples of how salvation is used

in scripture this morning, but I am going to leave you with just one final

example of the promise of salvation given to all who believe. In Romans

1, it talks of many of these steps or stages of salvation. Let us look at

God’s promise to us about salvation in verses 16 and 17. “I am not

ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings

salvation to everyone who believes; first for the Jew, then for the

Gentile. For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a

righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: the

righteous will live by faith.”

That faith that is mentioned is the confidence we have in the promise

of salvation. What a great and loving Father we have!

Pastor Larry

Announcements:

Sunday School 9:00

Tuesday 9:30 Bible Study

Thursday 6:30 Executive Committee

Sunday, October 6 Love Feast 6:00 p.m.

--Delegates needed for District Conference at the York Center

church on November 1 and 2. Please let Carol or Pastor Larry

know of your interest asap. Registration has already begun.

--We need volunteers for the children’s message during worship

and for story lessons in the nursery. Please sign up.

Pastor Larry Traxler (217) 454-2362

Donation Box for September: utilities

First Sundays: Food Bank donations

Keep in Your Prayers

Jordan Wright; Chris Wright; Elliott (Evelyn Eads’ great-

grandson); Alan Baker; Ruth Siburt; Sharon Traughber; Dorthea

Wood; Mike and Kathy Gentry; Steve Needham; Larry Traxler;

Nancy Fansler; Stacie Warren; Nancy Gorrell; Nora Hanaver;

Ron and Kathleen Petersen; Doug Larrick; Shirley Clarkson;

David and Jan Bower; Debbie Garvey Leibrock; Mike and Carol

Seidenstricker; Adiline Young; Mayo and Darlene Hanaver;

many unspoken requests; victims of shootings and of natural

disasters; shut-ins; the Nigerian church; the Haitian church;

those in the middle of war and violence; military and other

services and their families; Brethren Volunteer Service workers;

Disaster project workers

District Prayer Calendar: Pray for the District’s treasurer,

financial secretary, and Property & Assets Management Team.

Also pray for the Church of the Brethren in Spain.

September 22 Sermon and Announcements

 Our Sunday service is available for viewing on facebook at the Cerro Gordo Church of the Brethren page.

CERRO GORDO CHURCH OF THE BRETHREN

September 22, 2024

God Promises Us Forgiveness

1 John 1:9

God has made a promise to forgive our sins. In 1 John 1:9 we see the

first thing that activates this promise is our understanding we have

sinned against a holy and just God and we are asking for forgiveness.

When you and I do this, God is obligated to act on the promise he made

to his people thousands of years earlier.

Let us look at a couple of examples found in the Old Testament that

show that very thing. In Jeremiah 31:33 we read, “This the covenant I

will make with the house of Israel, after that time, declares the Lord. I

will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their

God, and they will be my people. No longer will a man teach his

neighbor or a man his brother, saying know the Lord because they will

all know me, from the least of them to the greatest declares the Lord.

For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no

more.” These verses in Jeremiah talk of the relationship God is

promising to His people.

Jesus said much the same thing in John 16:13-14. There we read, “But

when he, the spirit of truth, comes he will guide you into all truth. He

will not speak on his own, he will speak only what he hears, and he will

tell you what is yet to come. He will bring glory to me by taking from

what is mine and making it known to you.” Jesus is telling his disciples

basically the same thing Jeremiah was inspired to say to the Israelites.

God will write his word on the hearts of the believers. Jesus said the

Holy Spirit will accomplish this on the behalf of believers.

To cite one more example of God’s promises of forgiveness from the

Old Testament, I would like to share with you from Micah 7:18-19. Here

we read, “Who is a God like you, who pardons sin and forgives the

transgressions of the remnant of his inheritance? You do not stay angry

forever but delight to show mercy. You will again have compassion on

us; you will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the

depts of the sea.” Here we not only see how God will forgive his

peoples sins, but we also see how completely he does it. We are told he

will tread our sins underfoot and hurl our iniquities into the depth of

the sea. God is making a point of letting us know when our sins are

forgiven. it is over, they are done in the eyes of God.

Jesus did make a point of telling us since the Holy Spirit is leading us

into God’s truth and forgiveness, we are expected to do what God has

first done for us. Just as God has promised forgiveness for us, we also

should be willing to share this promise with others who might need our

forgiveness. So, God is asking us to share this promise with others who

may have sinned against us.

In Ephesians 4:32 we are encouraged to do this very thing, “Be kind and

compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ

God forgave you.” So, we can see this promise of forgiveness is one we

are to join with God in sharing. Through the power of the Holy Spirit,

we can not only know we are forgiven that God is making the promise

real to you and me, but we also have the power and ability to join with

God sharing this promise with others as well.

We know God is a loving compassionate God that is able to forgive us.

We want to believe that the promise of forgiveness is available to us

because of what Jesus did on our behalf. But sometimes it is not as easy

for us to forgive those who have done things to us or our loved ones.

Even though we may realize we should be able to forgive by the power

of the Holy Spirit, it is hard. We may be willing to admit the obvious, “I

am not God, I don’t know if I can forgive as you do God.” And yet God is

telling us, “Yes you can.” Jesus even went as far as saying the promise

of forgiveness of sins for you has one additional condition, the first

confess our sins.

As we close out our time considering God’s promise of forgiveness, the

Lord is going to leave this very direct statement about forgiveness for

you and me to think about.

In Matthew 6:14-15, Jesus says this, “For if you forgive men when they

sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do

not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.” Don’t

you just hate it when you are hearing something really good and then a

“but” gets thrown in there? Yes, God promises forgiveness to us. We

are even told these sins we are forgiven for are stomped on by God and

cast into the sea. But we are told if God will forgive us to really access

this promise, we need to be willing to forgive also. As we wrap up our

time together this morning, the question for you and me is, “How are

we doing?” The promise of forgiveness is for you and me but God

expects us to forgive as we have been forgiven.

Pastor Larry

Announcements:

Sunday School 9:00

Tuesday 9:30 Bible Study

Sunday, October 6 6:00 p.m. Love Feast

--Who would like to be a delegate to District Conference at the

York Center church on November 1 and 2? Please let Carol or

Pastor Larry know of your interest asap. Registration has

already begun.

--We need volunteers for the children’s message during worship

and for story lessons in the nursery. Please sign up.

Pastor Larry Traxler (217) 454-2362

Donation Box for September: utilities

First Sundays: Food Bank donations

Keep in Your Prayers

Elliott (Evelyn Eads’ great-grandson); Alan Baker; Ruth Siburt;

Sharon Traughber; Dorthea Wood; Mike and Kathy Gentry;

Steve Needham; Larry Traxler; Nancy Fansler; Stacie Warren;

Nancy Gorrell; Nora Hanaver; Ron and Kathleen Petersen;

Doug Larrick; Shirley Clarkson; David and Jan Bower; Debbie

Garvey Leibrock; Mike and Carol Seidenstricker; Adiline Young;

Mayo and Darlene Hanaver; many unspoken requests; victims

of shootings and of natural disasters; shut-ins; the Nigerian

church; the Haitian church; those in the middle of war and

violence; military and other services and their families; Brethren

Volunteer Service workers; Disaster project workers

District Prayer Calendar: Pray for the Romine congregation and

for the Office of Peacebuilding and Policy in Washington, D.C.

September 15 Sermon and Announcements

 CERRO GORDO CHURCH OF THE BRETHREN

September 15, 2024

We Have the Promise of God’s Grace

Titus 3:4-7

Today we are looking at grace. What is grace? The biblical definition of

grace is God’s unmerited favor, or underserved gift, that cannot be

earned. God has promised to pour out His grace on those who

recognize and receive the gift Jesus gave to all who believe. These

verses we read from Titus 3 have a whole lot in them. They point out

that what we have received is not because we have earned it. God’s

grace is not given because of how good we are. God’s grace is given

because of how good He is, how much He loves those He created.

Earlier in Titus in chapter 2:11, Paul makes it clear who can receive

God’s grace. “For the grace of God that brings us salvation has

appeared to all men.” So, God has made His salvation and His grace

available to everyone. In some ways I think the promise of God’s grace

can be difficult to understand and one also difficult for people to grab

hold of and receive. My reason for saying that is the concept in our

modern world that you do not get anything for nothing. People want to

earn what they have or at least feel you have to do something. There is

always a catch. So, because of our own skepticism and Satan’s

accusations, we might have trouble fully receiving this promise

The next set of scriptures tells us a whole lot about God’s nature. Why

God does what He does, why grace is available to all of God’s children

and what the benefits of this promise are.

Let us look at what is said in Ephesians 2 beginning with verse 4.

“But because of his great love for us, God who is rich in mercy, made us

alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions. It is by

grace you have been saved and God raised us up with Christ and seated

us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus. In order that in the

coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace

expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.”

We could and may in the future cover all of the things we are told

about God, His grace, His mercy, His love in these verses but let us

focus on the promise of God’s grace this morning. God’s grace is

something we cannot earn. God has made grace available because he

loves you and me and is committed to you and me. So, what do we

need to do to receive God’s promised grace? One thing. Pray this

3-word prayer, “God thank you!” God knows your limitations, he

created us. God built within a need for two things; a need for one

another and a need for God. God does not require perfection. God does

require a thankful heart. God has made a way for everyone to be saved.

All God asks of us to receive the grace promised to us is a thankful and

faithful heart. It is explained very well in these final two verses I am

going to share with you found also in Ephesians 2. We are reminded of

this in verse 8 and 9. “For it is by grace you have been saved through

faith and this not from yourselves it is the gift of God. Not of works so

that no one can boast.” What a tremendous promise God’s grace for us

is. God’s grace can be felt and experienced a number of ways. We are

all different. God’s promise of grace is there for all to receive. Each of

us here this morning may experience the grace of God in different

ways. The reality is that unmerited favor is yours and mine to claim. The

promise of God’s grace is real and changes lives. What a great and

glorious God we have!

Pastor Larry

Announcements:

Sunday School 9:00

Tuesday 9:30 Bible Study

Today: Special Church of the Brethren Mission Offering

Envelopes are available in the back if you would like to

participate.

We need volunteers for the children’s message during worship

and for story lessons in the nursery. Please sign up.

Pastor Larry Traxler (217) 454-2362

Donation Box for September: utilities

First Sundays: Food Bank donations

Keep in Your Prayers

Elliott (Evelyn Eads’ great-grandson); Alan Baker; Ruth Siburt;

Sharon Traughber; Dorthea Wood; Mike and Kathy Gentry;

Steve Needham; Larry Traxler; Nancy Fansler; Stacie Warren;

Nancy Gorrell; Nora Hanaver; Ron and Kathleen Petersen;

Doug Larrick; Shirley Clarkson; David and Jan Bower; Debbie

Garvey Leibrock; Mike and Carol Seidenstricker; Adiline Young;

Mayo and Darlene Hanaver; many unspoken requests; victims

of shootings and of natural disasters; shut-ins; the Nigerian

church; the Haitian church; those in the middle of war and

violence; military and other services and their families; Brethren

Volunteer Service workers; Disaster project workers

District Prayer Calendar: Pray for the West Branch congregation

and for the Anabaptist Disabilities Network, their staff and work.

September 8 Sermon and Announcements

 CERRO GORDO CHURCH OF THE BRETHREN

September 8, 2024

Jesus Promises Peace

John 14:27

Jesus promised his disciples he was leaving them with his peace. At the

time Jesus made this promise he had been telling them things were

going to get hard. Yet Jesus wanted them to know what was available

to them. When we look at our lives how often would you say you are

living in the peace Jesus promised? Most of us, if not all of us, have had

times in our lives when real peace or peace of mind seemed hard to

find. Why is that? After all Jesus said, “Peace I leave to you my peace I

give to you.” So, what is the problem?

I believe there are two reasons why peace seems hard to find at time in

our lives.

Reason #1 - Satan. We are told time and time again Satan is a liar. In

John 8 Jesus is having a discussion with some Jews who are questioning

Jesus about who he really is. In verse 44 he is telling them their

problem is that they are listening to Satan more than God. And toward

the end of verse 44 Jesus states just who Satan really is. Speaking of

Satan, Jesus says this, “When he lies, he speaks his native language for

he is a liar and the father of lies.” So, what is one of the reasons we may

not live in the peace God has for us? Because Satan is lying to us about

who we are, about what is happening in our lives and about who God

is. As Christians we are not supposed to fall for his tricks anymore, are

we? But sometimes for any one of a number of reasons we do.

Before we go back to the promise Jesus made to his disciples, to God’s

people, let us look at the second reason we do not always have the

peace Jesus promised. Reason #2 is related to reason #1. When I said

Satan is a liar as reason number #1, I mean the purposeful lies Satan

throws our way to depress us, to make us feel unworthy, bring guilt and

resentment towards God.

Reason #2 – We do not live in the peace God has for us is more on us.

Satan doesn’t really have to do anything special to steal our peace, we

in some ways, willingly give it up. We get overwhelmed by work, by

family, by finances, by health concerns, to the point peace is nowhere

to be found. And we think it is our burden to carry all alone, no one else

understands or no one else cares, including God.

As I have been sharing this list, maybe some of you are thinking of

other things that has stolen your peace. So, what is the solution? How

do we tap into this spirit-filled peace Jesus has promised?

1. Trust God.

2. Pray that God will help you to put and keep Satan in his place.

3. Believe the promise of peace is real and for you.

At times it seems we must start each new day asking for God to bring

the peace the Holy Spirit gives afresh in our life. Then we need to pray

that God will drive Satan’s lies as far away from our lives as the east is

from the west. Then we must claim the peace Jesus promised us to

overcome, whatever it might be that is coming against us. Satan loves

to remind us of things in our past. Whether it be sins we have

committed or, in some cases, memories of things we may have enjoyed

that are no longer there and Satan tries to tell us there will never be

good times again. As God’s children, we have the right to claim the

peace Jesus promised, even in the midst of difficult times. As Jesus was

once again warning his disciples of what was about to happen, he said

this to them in John 16:33, “I have told you these things, so that in me

you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble but take heart,

I overcome the world.”

Just as we talked last week, that in the midst of difficult times God’s

promise of hope is real and there to hang onto and so is the peace

Jesus promised. If necessary, minute by minute and day by day, ask the

Holy Spirit to give you the peace Jesus promised his followers. Problems

and difficult times will not necessarily miraculously disappear, but yours

and my ability to face those challenges with an attitude of Godly peace

is ours to claim. If you are not seeing God’s peace in your life as much

as you would like, make the decision today to claim Jesus’ promise for

yourself right now.

Pastor Larry

Announcements:

Sunday School 9:00

Tuesday 9:30 Bible Study

KYB is on-going at the Brethren Church on Wednesdays after

school for 3 rd through 5 th graders.

A special Church of the Brethren Mission Offering will be

collected next Sunday, September 15. Envelopes will be

available in the back if you would like to participate.

We need volunteers for the children’s message during worship

and for story lessons in the nursery. Please sign up.

Pastor Larry Traxler (217) 454-2362

Donation Box for September: utilities

First Sundays: Food Bank donations

Keep in Your Prayers

Elliott (Evelyn Eads’ great-grandson); Alan Baker; Ruth Siburt;

Sharon Traughber; Dorthea Wood; Mike and Kathy Gentry;

Steve Needham; Larry Traxler; Nancy Fansler; Stacie Warren;

Nancy Gorrell; Nora Hanaver; Ron and Kathleen Petersen;

Doug Larrick; Shirley Clarkson; David and Jan Bower; Debbie

Garvey Leibrock; Mike and Carol Seidenstricker; Adiline Young;

Mayo and Darlene Hanaver; many unspoken requests; victims

of shootings and of natural disasters; shut-ins; the Nigerian

church; the Haitian church; those in the middle of war and

violence; military and other services and their families; Brethren

Volunteer Service workers; Disaster project workers

District Prayer Calendar: Pray for the Naperville congregation

and for the Church of the Brethren Global Food Initiative.

September 1 Sermon and Announcements

 CERRO GORDO CHURCH OF THE BRETHREN

September 1, 2024

The Lord Promises to Give Us Hope

Isaiah 40:31

Depending on the version of the Bible you use, the word "hope" can be

found 130 times in the King James version and as often as 167 times in

the New International version. There are different reasons in scripture

the word hope is used. The most common reason has to do with God’s

peoples’ trust and belief in God. This sentence most accurately states

the reason this word is used so often in scripture. Simply stated. In the

Bible, hope is often used to mean a confident expectation of what God

has promised. That gets back to our sermon title. Our hope is based on

God’s promises to His people.

Almost all of us use the word hope on a regular basis. Whether

someone is a Christian or not, in many of the situations we all face in

life, hope will enter our discussions. When we see someone we haven’t

seen for a while we often times will try to catch up on what has been

going on in their life. If a difficulty becomes part of the conversation

many of us may end our conversation with that person with, “I will be

praying for you and I hope everything works out for you.” Whether it

has to do with health, finances, relationships, a change of jobs or a

move, we will often say to one another, “I hope everything will be

okay.”

Let’s look at just a few places in scripture where the Lord used God’s

people to build up those in despair with hope. Job was the most

devastated person in scripture. Virtually everything was taken from

him. We have talked of his trials before. To begin with some of his

“friends” were not any help. But the Lord brought others into his life to

encourage him to continue to trust in the Lord. At one point a man by

the name of Zophar said this to Job, “You will be secure because there

is hope; you will look about you and take your rest in safety.” Job was a

long way from believing this would ever happen again for him, but the

Lord reminded Job there is hope if you trust and believe.

In Psalms King David says, this, “Love the Lord, all you saints; the Lord

preserves the faithful but the proud he pays back in full. Be strong and

take heart, all you who hope in the Lord.”

In the midst of Israels captivity, Jeremiah says this in chapter 17, verse

7. “Blessed is the man that trusts in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord

is.” In that particular verse, the NIV translates hope in an even stronger

way by using the word confidence. The Living Bible covers all the bases

by saying whose hope and confidence is in the Lord.

These are just a few examples of the hope mentioned in the Old

Testament. Jesus did not use the word hope much at all while he was

teaching the people, because God was there in the flesh with the

people. However, after Jesus’ death and resurrection the apostles

spoke of our hope many, many times. After Jesus ascended back to the

Father, the message of hope is what the apostles shared with the

people. It was a positive message assuring the people you can put your

trust, your hope in Christ.

In Romans 5:1—2 Paul is encouraging the believers in Rome this way.

He says, “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we

have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ through whom we

have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And

we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.”

The last verses I will share with you today is found in Hebrews 6. These

verses talk of the certainty of God’s promises to us. Beginning with the

17 th verse we see this promise to God’s people. “Because God wanted

to make the unchanging nature of His purpose very clear to the heirs of

what was promised, He confirmed it with an oath. God did this so that,

by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we

who have fled to take hold of the hope offered to us may be greatly

encouraged. We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and

secure.” The hope being mentioned is salvation through Jesus Christ

our Lord. All throughout scripture we are told we can trust in the Lord

for our future is in Him and in Him alone.

I hope you have been encouraged by the promise of God’s hope for all

who believe. In some ways I should have begun our look at God’s

promises with the promise that God gives us about hope because hope

is the starting point for believing and receiving all the other promises of

God.

In closing I would like to go back to the scripture we started with today.

However, I am going to go back 2 more verses and beginning with verse

29. “He gives strength to the weary, and increases the power of the

weak.” Have you ever been there, felt like that? Let us go on. “Even

youths grow tired and weary and young men stumble and fall; but

those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on

wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary; they will walk and

not be faint. Amen.”

Pastor Larry

Announcements:

Sunday School 9:00

Tuesday 9:30 Bible Study

Thursday, September 5 6:00 Commissions and Board

KYB is on-going at the Brethren Church on Wednesdays after

school for 3rd through 5th graders.

Hard copies of the September/October newsletter are in the

back.

We need volunteers for the children’s message during worship

and for story lessons in the nursery. Please sign up.

Pastor Larry Traxler (217) 454-2362

Donation Box for September: utilities

First Sundays: Food Bank donations

Keep in Your Prayers

Ruth Siburt; Sharon Traughber; Dorthea Wood; Mike and Kathy

Gentry; Steve Needham; Larry Traxler; Nancy Fansler; Stacie

Warren; Nancy Gorrell; Nora Hanaver; Ron and Kathleen

Petersen; Doug Larrick; Shirley Clarkson; David and Jan Bower;

Debbie Garvey Leibrock; Mike and Carol Seidenstricker; Adiline

Young; Mayo and Darlene Hanaver; many unspoken requests;

victims of shootings and of natural disasters; shut-ins; the

Nigerian church; the Haitian church; those in the middle of war

and violence; military and other services and their families;

Brethren Volunteer Service workers; Disaster project workers

District Prayer Calendar: Pray for the Rock Community

congregation in Fairfield, and for the Church of the Brethren in

Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Uganda.

 Announcements:

Sunday School 9:00

Tuesday 9:30 Bible Study

August 28 12:00 Women’s Fellowship luncheon—lunch

provided—come and enjoy.

September 4, 3:15 KYB at the Brethren Church for 3rd - 5th graders

September 5 6:00 pm Commissions and Board meeting

Newsletter deadline: August 28

Please sign up for children’s message during worship and/or for

a story lesson in the nursery.

Pastor Larry Traxler- (217) 454-2362

Donation Box for August: AC bills

First Sundays: Food Bank donations

Keep in Your Prayers

Sharon Traughber; Ruth Siburt; Steve Needham; Shirley Clarkson;

Ava; Nora Hanaver; David and Jan Bower; Larry Traxler; Mike and Kathy Gentry;

Nancy Fansler; Doug Larrick; Ron and Kathleen Petersen; Debbie Garvey

Leibrock; Dorthea Wood; Mike and Carol Seidenstricker; Adiline

Young; Mayo and Darlene Hanaver; Stacie Warren; Nancy Gorrell;

many unspoken requests; victims of disasters; victims of shootings;

shut-ins; the Nigerian church; Haitian Brethren; Ukraine; Israel, Iran,

the Palestinians; Military and Other Services and their families

Brethren Volunteer Service workers; Disaster project workers

District Prayer Calendar: Pray for the Walnut Grove and Cherry Grove congregations.

August 11 Announcements

 Announcements:

Sunday School 9:00

Tuesday 9:30 Bible Study

August 17 9:00-3:00 Piatt County Quilt Show—Cisco Center

2:00 CUIC ice cream social—Born Park

August 28 12:00 Women’s Fellowship luncheon—lunch

provided—come and enjoy.

On August 25 we will have a hymn sing during worship. Please

list some hymns that you would like to sing on the sign-up sheet

on the east bulletin board. We need a worship leader. Let Carol

know if you are willing to do this.

Please sign up for children’s message during worship and/or for

a story lesson in the nursery.

Pastor Larry Traxler- (217) 454-2362

Donation Box for July: AC bills

First Sundays: Food Bank donations

Keep in Your Prayers

Sharon Traughber; Ruth Siburt; Steve Needham; Shirley Clarkson;

Ava; Nora Hanaver; David and Jan Bower; Larry Traxler; Mike Gentry;

Nancy Fansler; Doug Larrick; Ron and Kathleen Petersen; Debbie

Leibrock; Dorthea Wood; Mike and Carol Seidenstricker; Adiline

Young; Mayo and Darlene Hanaver; Stacie Warren; Nancy Gorrell;

many unspoken requests; victims of disasters; victims of shootings;

shut-ins; the Nigerian church; Haitian Brethren; Ukraine; Israel, Iran,

the Palestinians; Military and Other Services and their families

Brethren Volunteer Service workers; Disaster project workers

District Prayer Calendar: Pray for the Polo congregation and for the

faculty, staff, and students of Manchester University.

August 4

 Announcements:

Sunday School 9:00

Tuesday 9:30 Bible Study

August 10 1:00-4:00 Back to School event OBC

August 17 2:00 CUIC ice cream social—Born Park

August 28 12:00 Women’s Fellowship luncheon

On August 25 we will have a hymn sing during worship. Please

list some hymns that you would like to sing on the sign-up sheet

on the east bulletin board. We need a worship leader. Let Carol

know if you are willing to do this.

Please sign up for children’s message during worship and/or for

a story lesson in the nursery.

Pastor Larry Traxler- (217) 454-2362

Donation Box for July: AC bills

First Sundays: Food Bank donations

Keep in Your Prayers

Sharon Traughber; Ruth Siburt; Steve Needham; Shirley Clarkson;

Ava; Nora Hanaver; David and Jan Bower; Larry Traxler; Mike Gentry;

Nancy Fansler; Doug Larrick; Ron and Kathleen Petersen; Debbie

Leibrock; Dorthea Wood; Mike and Carol Seidenstricker; Adiline

Young; Mayo and Darlene Hanaver; Stacie Warren; Nancy Gorrell;

many unspoken requests; victims of disasters; victims of shootings;

shut-ins; the Nigerian church; Haitian Brethren; Ukraine; Israel, Iran,

the Palestinians; Military and Other Services and their families

Brethren Volunteer Service workers; Disaster project workers

District Prayer Calendar: Pray for the Polo congregation and for the

faculty, staff, and students of Manchester University.

Sermon and Announcements July 28

 

CERRO GORDO CHURCH OF THE BRETHREN

July 28, 2024

 

What are you facing?

Daniel 6:1-28

 

This past week at Vacation Bible School the theme was Confidence with God. Terry Leach as host pastor gave the story on the first and last nights. Pastor Roe gave the story on Tuesday. I gave the story on Wednesday and Pastor Legg gave the story on Thursday. Each night one of the more dramatic and miraculous real-life stories from the Bible was told.

 

On Wednesday night I shared about Daniel and the Lions Den. I thought about recreating how I presented it to the children and seeing how well you would do with the questions I asked them. We had a really good group of kids. As I mentioned earlier, I believe there were somewhere between 50 and 60 different children that attended at least one of the evenings. The largest group most every evening was the Pre-K/Kindergarten group. Keeping 15-20 children at that age focused for 20 minutes can be a challenge. The teachers here with us today are well aware of that. Anyway, my story was about Daniel and the Lion’s Den. Even to the youngest group, I felt it necessary to explain why Daniel was going to be put in the lion’s den. Probably almost everyone here this morning has either read this story a number of times or heard it told a number of times or both.

 

It would be interesting to ask everyone to write down what story, what event from scripture you believe is the most miraculous or powerful or amazing of all. Maybe I will ask you that in the near future, so you might be thinking about it.

 

So, my Bible story was Daniel and the Lion’s Den. I believe these events really happened. Some critics and even some well-meaning scholars question whether some of the Bible stories really happened. I believe every one of the stories in the Bible are true. That being said, Daniel along with many of the brightest and the best of Judah were taken to Babylon when King Nebuchadnezzar defeated Judah. At the time this event happened, the third different king was ruling during the time Daniel and others from Judah had been taken to this foreign land. One might say 5 different things had happened that caused Daniel to be in this predicament.

 

1.    A new king came to power that quickly recognized what a special man Daniel was.

2.    Because of this, the king planned on making Daniel the second most powerful man in the kingdom.

3.    Many of the other people were jealous of Daniel; after all he wasn’t one of them.

4.    They came up with a plan to get rid of Daniel.

5.    They tricked the king into making a kingdom-wide decree that basically was designed just to get rid of Daniel and the king did not realize what it was all about.

 

Most all of us know what happened. We read the account this morning as well. The king reluctantly had Daniiel thrown into the lion’s den. King Darius hoped Daniel’s God would protect him. The lions’ mouths were shut by God. The next morning King Darius rushed to see if Daniel had survived the night. Daniel assured the king he was alright. The king was both thankful and mad. Thankful that God protected Daniel and mad that some of the men he had trusted tricked him into doing something that could have killed Daniel. As a result, he ordered the men and their families thrown into the lion’s den. Did Daniel know with absolute certainty what would happen when he was being thrown in with those hungry, ferocious lions? Probably not, but I am sure that Daniel continued to trust in God and have confidence in God to the point that no matter what happened he never stopped believing in God.

So, what does that have to do with you and me? Is there anything God wants us to learn from this incredible story? As I look out at those of you who are here today and I think of those of this congregation who aren’t able to be with us this morning, I know almost every one of you have things going on in your lives that are challenging to say the least. What are you facing today? While none of us are at risk of being thrown in with hungry lions, virtually every one of you is either personally facing difficult challenges or your loved ones or friend are. God wants us to read these stories and lock them in our hearts so we are reminded during those difficult times how much he loves His people.

 

The stories at Vacation Bible School this past week were told so that the children’s confidence in God might grow. God has been with His people in the past and He is still with His people today. So, no matter what you may be facing today or in the future, you can have full confidence that God will be right there with you. Just as Daniel’s faith never wavered, we also can stand strong in the Lord. God promised to never leave us or forsake us. Things may not always turn out the way we want them to but that doesn’t mean our Lord isn’t with us every step of the way giving us the strength and courage we need. So, no matter what, have faith and confidence in God. God loves you. Jesus died for you. The ultimate victory is ours through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Pastor Larry

(You can watch our church service on our facebook page.)

Announcements:

 

Sunday School 9:00

Tuesday 9:30 Bible Study

August 1 6:30 pm Executive Committee

August 17 2:00 CUIC ice cream social—Born Park

August 28 12:00 Women’s Fellowship luncheon

 

On August 25 we will have a hymn sing during worship. Please list some hymns that you would like to sing on the sign-up sheet on the east bulletin board.

 

Please sign up for children’s message during worship and/or for a story lesson in the nursery.

 

Pastor Larry Traxler- (217) 454-2362

Donation Box for July: AC bills

First Sundays: Food Bank donations

 

Keep in Your Prayers

 

Sharon Traughber; Ruth Siburt; Steve Needham; Shirley Clarkson; Courtney Atteberry; Ava; Nora Hanaver; David and Jan Bower; Larry Traxler; Randy and Michelle West; Mike Gentry; Eli Brunner; Nancy Fansler; Doug Larrick; Ron and Kathleen Petersen; Debbie Leibrock; Dorthea Wood; Mike and Carol Seidenstricker; Adiline Young; Mayo and Darlene Hanaver; Stacie Warren; Nancy Gorrell; many unspoken requests; victims of disasters; victims of shootings; shut-ins; the Nigerian church; Haitian Brethren; Ukraine; Israel, Iran, the Palestinians; Military and Other Services and their families

Brethren Volunteer Service workers; Disaster project workers

District Prayer Calendar: Pray for the Canton congregation and for the Church of the Brethren (Iglesia de los Hermanos) in the Dominican Republic.

 

 

Sermon and Announcements July 14, 2024

 CERRO GORDO CHURCH OF THE BRETHREN

July 14, 2024

Welcome & Worthy/Imitating Christ

Romans 16:1-2, Philippians 2:1-5

I am and am not giving a report from Annual Conference. This year’s conference was, to me, different from any of the previous conferences I have attended. I have tried to think of a word to describe it but have not really come up with one that really tells what my thoughts really are. A word that kind of tells the story of conference from my perspective is subdued. The moderator this year was Madalyn Metzger.

We mentioned it 2 weeks ago but she attended the Springfield Church of the Brethren when she was growing up. She gave some opening remarks to begin the business session on the first day of conference.

One of the things she acknowledged was that several congregations have left the Church of the Brethren because of different biblical views. 

I do not know if that being mentioned in the opening comments had anything to do with the tone of this year’s conference, but it just had a different feel this year than the previous conferences I have attended. I thought Madaline did an excellent job keeping the delegates focused on what was being discussed at the time. There were times when some went to the microphones to talk about things that weren’t exactly being discussed and while she gave some leeway in that regard, she would bring us back to the topic at hand.

The first verses we read this morning from Romans is what the main theme of conference were based on. One can take those 2 verses a number of ways, but I believe Paul was encouraging the church to recognize the importance and value of all believers. Paul wasn’t bashful when it came to saying what he felt needed to be said and he wanted the church in Rome to know what an important sister in Christ Phoebe was. Madaline used these verses in her message in the worship service that opened conference.

The verses from Philippians I shared as the second part of scripture for us was used by Cindy Laprade Lattimer in the closing worship service. She actually used Philippians 1:1-11 where as I just used the first 5 verses. Here we see Paul talking to the church in Phillipi. Once again, he is encouraging the church to be united in Christ and in fellowship with the Holy Spirit. He then highlights ways that should be happening.

1. By having tenderness for one another.

2. Compassion for one another.

3. Finding a way to be likeminded, by having the same love and

being one in spirit and purpose.

Paul offers this challenge: To do nothing out of vain conceit or selfish ambition and how is this possible by considering others to be better than yourself. And also, to look not only at your own interests but to genuinely look at the interest of others.

After Paul goes down this list of things those in the church should and should not be doing, he reminds us all of this. Your attitude, our attitude, should be the same as that of Christ Jesus. And what is that attitude Jesus Christ exampled to us in Romans 5:8, we are reminded, “But God demonstrated his own love for us in this while we were still sinners Christ died for us.”

As I think of this year’s annual conference what I heard around our table, as well as by most of those who spoke at conference this year, was an openness to recognize there are and will be differences. Some of the differences will be big based on biblical interpretations; some will be more about personal preferences.

There was a query that was presented that was asking for real discussions about the things that threaten this denomination. The query seeks, “A new model of denominational structure”. The final statement in the query says this: “How might a new model of denomination structure support proactive and vitality; address the issues that threaten the unity and viability of our beloved denomination; and offer hope to individuals and congregations who are contemplating separation from the Church of the Brethren.”

When we think of the message Paul gave the church in Rome about his fellow worker and sister Phoebe and couple that with the encouragement and challenge Paul gave the church in Philippi, we have the framework for the answer to how our churches, our families, our nation and our world can work together even when we do not always agree. That was one of the primary themes I took away from this year’s conference. Carol may have a different take on this year’s conference than I have had. But the Lord led me to realize the importance of love and respect for one another, while also understanding the only way to really achieve these things is through a relationship with Jesus Christ.

Pastor Larry

Announcements:

Sunday School 9:00

Tuesday 9:30 Bible Study

Today 2:00 VBS meeting

July 21 2:00 Set up/decorate for VBS

July 22-26 6:00 – 8:00 pm VBS at the Brethren Church—help

will be needed

NO board meeting in July

Please sign up for children’s message during worship and/or for

a story lesson in the nursery.

Pastor Larry Traxler- (217) 454-2362

Donation Box for July: AC bills

First Sundays: Food Bank donations

Keep in Your Prayers

Sharon Traughber; Ruth Siburt; Steve Needham; Shirley Clarkson; Courtney Atteberry; Ava; Nora Hanaver; David and Jan Bower; Larry Traxler; Randy and Michelle West; Mike Gentry; Eli Brunner; Nancy Fansler; Doug Larrick; Ron and Kathleen Petersen; Debbie Leibrock; Dorthea Wood; Mike and Carol Seidenstricker; Adiline Young; Mayo and Darlene Hanaver; Stacie Warren; Nancy Gorrell; many unspoken requests; victims of disasters; victims of shootings; shut-ins; the Nigerian church; Haitian Brethren; Ukraine; Israel, Iran, the Palestinians; Military and Other Services and their families

Brethren Volunteer Service workers; Disaster project workers

District Prayer Calendar: Pray for the Girard congregation and the

ministry of Girard Area Homes.