Good Shepherd Lutheran Church of Old Bridge, NJ

January 6 brings an end to the 12 days of Christmas and ushers in the season of Epiphany. On this date we remember the visit of the wise men. This story is a reminder of the universality of the gospel and how Jesus was a gift for all people.

In this message, Pastor Phil shares the story of the wise men and the lessons we can learn from this story. The wise men sought the answer to the star in the sky by examining the Scriptures. They also bring their gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh as an act of worship. In the same way the wise men worshipped the baby Jesus, we are invited to worship Jesus the Savior.

We talk about relying upon God’s strength. But what does that mean? And how do we do that?

In this message, Pastor Phil talks about what it means to rely upon God’s strength and how we might begin to do that in 2019. The text for today’s message is Isaiah 40:28-31.

The Christmas story begins with an Emperor and a Census. The power and might of the ancient Roman Empire is on full display. But the baby born in Bethlehem would give birth to an even greater kingdom. Jesus invites us today to live for that greater kingdom. When we live for that kingdom we know that even when things are out of control, God is in control!

The text for this Christmas Eve sermon is the Christmas story recorded in Luke 2:1-7.

This is the 4th Sunday in Advent. We bring to a conclusion our study of Luke 1. This week’s text is Luke 1:56-80 where we read about the birth and circumcision of John the Baptist.



When John the Baptist was born, Zechariah and Elizabeth name their son John. This went against was customary and expected. But they named their son John out of obedience to the command of the angel.

On this 3rd Sunday in Advent, we explore Mary’s visit to Elizabeth along with Mary’s song called the Magnifcant. This is a story about the working of the Holy Spirit and experiencing God in greater measure. Mary sang, “My Soul Magnifies the Lord.” Indeed, may God be magnified through the lives we live.
The reading this week comes from Luke 1:39-56. And remember Pastor Phil’s three Advent challenges:

* Take 5 minutes of silence each day.
* Read Luke 1 during Advent.
* Join our 2019 New Testament Reading Plan.

The birth of Jesus is announced by the Angel Gabriel to the Virgin Mary. The text for the day is Luke 1:26-38. Mary would give birth to a son and they would call his name Jesus. He would become the Savior of the world. The thing that is special about this story is that there was nothing special about Mary. She was quite ordinary but God used her in a special way. The point is that God uses ordinary people like us to accomplish his extraordinary purpose.



The story concludes when Mary says, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” God will use us when we make ourselves available to be his servants. But to be available means that we are open to listen to his guidance. That guidance comes through the Word.



In this message, Pastor Phil challenges us all to join the 2019 New Testament Reading Plan. You can find more about it at gs4nj.org/bible-reading-plan-2019.



Learn more about the 2019 New Testament Reading Plan

On this holiday weekend, we take a look at the appointed Old Testament reading for Thanksgiving Day. It is Deuteronomy 8:1-10. In this reading, we discover several marks of discipleship. They include:



* Complete obedience* Becoming a learner* Being humble* Treasuring the Word of God* Fully trusting in God to provide* Practicing discipline* Living with Kingdom vision* Practicing Gratitude

Life is filled with changes and we are not in control of our circumstances as much as we think we are in control. Jesus shares about times of great upheaval and uncertainty. There are great trials and challenges we face. But through the uncertainty we are reminded:



* Do not fear the future* Prepare for the future* Let go of attachments* Advance with faith* Don’t look back



The reading for the day is Mark 13:1-13.

Our reading this Sunday comes from Mark 12:41-44. It is the story of the Widow’s Mite. Jesus observes a widow who place two small coins into the offering box. It was much less than anyone else gave, but at the same time, it was so much more. It is a message about our dependence upon and commitment to the things of the this world, compared to our dependence upon and commitment to the Lord. In this message we are reminded:



* God sees all. He sees not just the amount of the gift. He sees the heart with which the gift is given. He sees the motivation behind the offering.* It was a small gift the widow gave. But the widow had no idea God would multiply her gift. Her offering would become the most famous offering in history, and inspire countless numbers of people to give sacrificially and generously. Your gift may seem insignificant, but never doubt God’s ability to do so much more with it.



We had some issues with the video feed this weekend. We apologize that there is no video this week.

Dear Members and Supporters of Good Shepherd,



I write this note to you on All Saints’ Sunday. We celebrate and remember all the faithful saints who have come before us. We rejoice in the legacy that they left us. And it is our prayer that we would follow their example to pass the faith on to the generations that follow.



Good Shepherd was launched in 1960. It experienced growth and expansion through the first 40 years of its existence to the end of the millennium. We are grateful for all who have poured their hearts and souls into building this ministry. But, there is a life cycle with every church. Just as there are seasons of growth, there are seasons of decline.



During the last 18 years, we have experienced some years of moderate growth, but most have been marked with decline. Many of us look forward, and long to return to that time of life and vitality that was experienced in the first 40 years of Good Shepherd’s existence. But for all the effort that has been made, it has not happened.



Earlier this day, I shared a message about the life cycle of the church. I also spoke about how the greater the decline, the greater the intervention must be to stem the decline. I want to encourage you to check this message out. It can be found on our website at gs4nj.org/allsaintssunday.



There is RENEWAL which involves tweaking and refocusing the ministry on keeping the main thing the main thing. But if renewal is not enough, then there is a RESTART, which involves reimagining and re-engineering the ministry. This is tearing down to build up. And if there is not the ability to restart, then the only option left is to REPLANT. A replant is when a ministry dies and a whole new ministry with new people come in to write a whole new story.



Why do I write this today? Good Shepherd is at a crucial time in its history. I believe we have come to a point to RESTART our ministry. We have worked at RENEWAL for the last five years with moderate success. But we have not experienced any real growth. The other choice we have is to continue to fade as many churches in the United States are doing, leading to the inevitable death.



There is loss whichever way we look at it. With decline there is a loss of people, a loss of finances, and the eventual demise of the ministry. With a restart, there are losses that are suffered, but we face those losses to gain something greater. The disciples left their boats, their nets, and their livelihood to follow Jesus and become fishers of men. They left what they knew to discover a rich reward in eternity. And as Jesus says, “he who would lose his life to gain it.”



Today, I want to invite you to reimagine the future of Good Shepherd together with me. Joining Jesus on his mission, with the help of the Holy Spirit, I want you to join me in seeing new life and vitality put into God’s work in Old Bridge, NJ.



There is an opportunity before us to consider a RESTART. Good Shepherd has been presented with a substantial offer to SELL OUR CHURCH PROPERTY. This may be shocking and even upsetting. At the same time, it may be exciting and uplifting. However you may feel, we are left with a substantial choice that will greatly affect the future of our beloved congregation.



What does this mean? There is no doubt that you have a lot of questions. This is why we have scheduled two Town Hall Meetings for Thursday, November 8 and Tuesday, November 13. Both of these meetings will start at 7:30pm at Good Shepherd. These meetings will be an opportunity to listen, to ask questions, to share your input, and to pray. I want to assure you that this is not the end of Good Shepherd,