August 31st Update
Dear Brothers and Sisters of Messiah,
We're on the verge of this summer's final three-day weekend. This year, that means September is very nearly here -- and that worship, education, fellowship and outreach activities at Messiah resume their typical rhythms in the coming weeks.
WORSHIP AND CLASS SCHEDULE
Our regular Sunday schedule:
Divine Service at 10:00 am.
Bible Class at 9:00 am.
Watch for details about the return of Sunday School later this month.
Livestreams of our Sunday services can be found at:
Our Facebook page, www.facebook.com/messiahgr
The most recent livestreamed service is viewable on our website's front page, www.messiahgr.org
CARES (Caring, Active, Reaching, Encouraging Sisters in Christ) resumes on Wednesday, September 9th at 9:45 am, continuing their discussion of the book Come and Be Filled: Feasting with Jesus in His Word by Kristopher R. Whitby. Click here for a sample.
LifeLight also resumes in September with 9-week classes on The Epistle to the Hebrews. Classes begin Tuesday, September 15th at 10:30 am or Wednesday, September 16th at 6:00 pm.Click here for a sample.
WHAT'S NEW & NEXT
Our September newsletter is now online; click here to view or download a copy! Paper copies are available at the Welcome Center. We post the newsletter (including monthly calendars) and our weekly announcements online at www.messiahgr.org; calendars are also online separately at www.messiahgr.org/calendar. Be sure to check these sources regularly for updates on the events listed below and more!
Preschool begins Tuesday, September 8th! It's not too late to sign up children for this year's Terrific Threes or Fantastic Fours classes. Contact our director Vonda Smestad for details and application forms.
Summer's End Picnic Sunday, September 13th after the Divine Service, sponsored by the Board of Outreach. Our preschool families are being invited to join us at our pavilion and grounds for food (BBQ sandwiches, hot dogs, ice cream), games and fellowship. Please sign up at the Welcome Center to bring side dishes, fruit salads, or desserts (that go with ice cream)!
Lutheran Women in Mission (LWML) Fall Rally "Jesus is the Light" Saturday, September 26th, 2026 from 9:00 am - 2:30 pm at Messiah. Cost will be $10 per person; ingathering will be shirts for residents of our local Michigan Veterans Home. Sign-up sheets coming soon; contact Linda Blain for details.
NEW! Family Movie Night Friday, October 2nd.
Finally, a prayer request: I will be undergoing outpatient sinus surgery later today, Monday, August 31st. My doctor anticipates 7-10 days of recovery, so I will be on medical leave from then until Monday, September 14th. I ask you to pray for my healing and recovery during that time. Thanks to Nicole Mungia of Our Savior Lutheran Church for serving as organist on the first two Sundays in September; I also ask you to sing with all of your usual energy and joy as she leads you in the Lord’s song! God willing, I look forward to returning to service at Messiah in mid-September.
Yours in Christ, Rick Krueger
FROM PASTOR ERIC (in the September newsletter)
“There will always be issues, decisions, questions of how to do things, how to accomplish shared goals, that will divide people. There is nothing wrong with this. But when we begin to lose sight of the image of God in those around us, when someone’s humanity becomes conditional, when we ignore this God given inheritance, the consequences are always brutal, not only for the persecuted, but even for the persecutors. For the persecuted, those seen as less than human, there is the obvious fear of pain, suffering, even death, but in truth, they always retain that image of God, they remain loved by their creator, nothing can truly take these things away from them. But for the persecutor, when he dehumanizes another, when he acts in violence, when he lashes out at the image of God, he reduces himself, he acts more like a beast than a man, and in truth, he becomes less than human, less than God created him to be.
“With all that being said, one last point. Even when it all goes wrong, we must never forget there is always forgiveness. There is always mercy. There is always the love of God for His creation, especially for humanity, all created in His image, all who Christ died to save, for everyone. They can reject His gifts, but they only deny themselves then. But even for the worst of the worst, nothing is beyond the love of God and His ability to forgive. As the church we do not only then get to remind people of the law, of human rights if you will, but we also get to remind people of the gospel, the unconditional love of God for every last man, woman, and child, all created in His image, all invited into His kingdom, all loved by their creator, Amen.”
SEPTEMBER'S HYMN OF THE MONTH: "Awake, My Soul, and with the Sun" (Lutheran Service Book 868)
Thomas Ken wrote this morning hymn (along with the evening hymn “All Praise to Thee, My God, This Night”, LSB 883) for the scholars of Winchester College in the late 1600s, reminding them that “the Psalmist, upon happy experience, assures you that it is a good thing to tell of the loving kindness of the Lord early in the morning and of His truth in the night season.” French-Irish composer Francois Barthelemon set Ken’s text to an original melody in the 1790s, intended for the residents of London’s Asylum for Female Orphans. We hope you enjoy singing it and taking it to heart, beginning on Sunday, September 20th!