Germanfest 2017 Photos
September 9th, 2017 Zion Lutheran Church celebrated Germanfest. Pictures by Richard Thies.
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- Published: 09 November 2017 09 November 2017
- Last Updated: 09 November 2017 09 November 2017
Reformation 500
The follow article by Pastor Rolf Preus was originally posted to The Brothers of John The Steadfast website.
October, 2017
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ:
This month, we Lutherans celebrate the 500th Anniversary of the Reformation. On October 31, 1517, Martin Luther nailed 95 theses on the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany. That event is regarded as the beginning of the Reformation. During the month of October, the teaching and preaching in Bible Class and Divine Service will center on the precious truths brought to light by God’s servant, Martin Luther, beginning 500 years ago.
It was during the Lutheran Reformation of the 16th century that God graciously brought to light a truth long hidden, the truth that enlightens us and clarifies for us everything God teaches us about everything.
That truth, which lies at the heart of our faith, is the teaching of justification by faith alone. To be justified is to be reckoned by God to be righteous or just. We cannot justify ourselves. God justifies us by imputing to us the righteousness of Christ. Apart from this gracious imputation we would remain guilty as sin and under the condemnation of the law. But because of this gracious reckoning we are righteous. The righteousness we have is not our doing. It is what Jesus Christ did for us when he obeyed God’s law perfectly in our stead and suffered on the cross to pay for our sins. It is not our doing. It is Christ’s doing. It is God’s gift to us. We receive the gift through faith alone. We do not become righteous by obeying the law. That is legalism and it is a denial of the gospel. We become righteous, not by doing good deeds, but through faith alone in the gospel.
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- Published: 08 November 2017 08 November 2017
- Last Updated: 08 November 2017 08 November 2017
Bob Rayman Benefit
Bennington volunteer firefighter and lifelong member of the Bennington Community, Bob Rayman, contracted West Nile Virus leaving him with a severe medical condition and extensive medical bills. Please pray for Bob and his family. Friends of Bob are planning a fundraiser to help defray the costs of his medical bills.
Sunday November 19, 2017 NOON - 6PM
BENNINGTON FIRE STATION
10801 N 156th St, Bennington, NE 68007
Chili and Wing Feed: $10.00 Adults, $5.00 Children (12 and under )
Live Entertainment, Beer for purchase, Silent auction and 50/50 Raffle every hour
Donations can be made to the Bob Raymank Fund at any Bank of Bennington Location.
Contact Jeannie Carlsen 402-679-1420 or Jodi McCoy at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. if you are able to donate supplies and/or volunteer for Bob's benefit
- WOWT News store about Bob's situation: Local firefighter in ICU; battling rare complications from West Nile Virus
- Bob's Facebook page. His family updates his status from time to time
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- Published: 03 November 2017 03 November 2017
- Last Updated: 03 November 2017 03 November 2017
Who Was Martin Luther? Part 5
This is part four of a series written by Rev. Donavon Riley that originally appeared on the HIgher Things - Dare To be Lutheran website.
Martin Luther wasn't even 22 years old when he approached the monastery door in Erfurt. But he'd made up his mind. He knocked on the door of the Augustinian hermits. Martin asked the prior—the man responsible for running the monastery—to admit him.
Then Luther turned his back on a career in law, his father's expectations, and his friends' concerns. He allowed fear to drive him into a cloistered life. But why?
At the end of the winter semester in 1503, Martin traveled home to Mansfeld. On the way, the ceremonial dagger (a popular affectation amongst students at that time) Luther wore at his side stabbed him in the leg, probably in the femoral artery—a very dangerous, often fatal wound. A friend who had travelled with him ran to fetch a doctor, since they were still in sight of the city walls. While Luther laid there, propped against a tree, feet pointed toward the heavens, he prayed to the Mother of God: "Oh, Mary, help." But that wasn't the event that drove him to seek out the Augustinian hermits in Erfurt. It was, however, the beginning of the end of his law studies.
The second life threatening event, the one that finally drove young Martin into a monastery, happened on July 2, 1505. Caught in a thunderstorm, Luther believed he was about to die (again), and as fear overwhelmed him he cried out, "Help, St. Anne, [and] I will become a monk!" Family and friends tried to talk Martin out of his decision, but it was no use. Two weeks after the storm Luther threw a "going away" party for his friends. The next morning, he went and knocked on the monastery door. "You see me today and never again," he said. He thought that was the last he'd see of the world. But it wasn't to be for Luther. As he later remarked, "To the world I had died till God thought it was time." Some of his friends, like Crotus Rubeanus and Johannes Nathin, compared Luther's conversion to that of St. Paul. But, Martin didn't see it that way, and neither did the Augustinian hermits.
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- Published: 27 October 2017 27 October 2017
- Last Updated: 27 October 2017 27 October 2017
A Celebration of the Reformation - Wed Evenings
Look What’s New On Wednesday Evenings
Do you wonder what to do while your children attend Mid-Week or Confirmation on Wednesdays? Are you looking for a middle of the week Christian education opportunity? Would you like to know more about the Lutheran Reformation? Zion is offering just what you are looking for this fall.
Starting Wednesday, September 13, from 5:45 pm to 6:45 pm, Rev. Stephen Bartelt will be offering a 6-week presentation, “A Celebration of the Reformation.” He will be adapting material he originally developed to present to Lutheran students at our LCMS mission in Almaty, Kazahkstan in October 1997.
* Pastor Bartelt will finish this series on January 10th and 17th, 2018 *
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- Published: 10 September 2017 10 September 2017
- Last Updated: 11 January 2018 11 January 2018
LCMS Disaster Response assessment team heads to Texas
By Cheryl Magness (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)
An LCMS assessment team led by Director of Disaster Response Rev. Dr. Ross Johnson set out Aug. 30 from the LCMS International Center in St. Louis to Texas following Hurricane Harvey.
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Equipped with diapers, wipes, work gloves, face masks, batteries, flashlights and cases of water, they headed for Corpus Christi and Houston, Texas, two of the areas severely affected by the storm.
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- Published: 02 September 2017 02 September 2017
- Last Updated: 02 September 2017 02 September 2017
LCMS Response to Harvey
LCMS President Rev. Dr. Matthew C. Harrison calls on Lutherans to give generously for Hurricane Harvey recovery, and Disaster Response Director Rev. Dr. Ross Johnson talks about spiritual care and walking alongside the Texas district on the long road ahead.
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- Published: 31 August 2017 31 August 2017
- Last Updated: 03 September 2017 03 September 2017
Solar Eclipse Bible Study Offered
‘Great American Eclipse’ Bible study offered for Aug. 21 solar eclipse.
As we anticipate the total solar eclipse Aug. 21 - called by some “The Great American Eclipse” due to its rarity — Concordia Seminary, St. Louis has created a free Bible study to mark the event titled “The Great American Eclipse and Our Creaturely Sense of Wonder.”
The Bible study, written by Dr. Charles Arand, invites congregations, small groups and individuals to explore our “sense of wonder” in God’s creation through Scripture. It is designed as a one-day study but may be extended into two or three sessions.
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- Published: 14 August 2017 14 August 2017
- Last Updated: 16 August 2017 16 August 2017
Higher Things 2017
The Zion junior high and high school youth attended the Higher Things youth conference in Valparaiso, Indiana July 24-28. Some of the services can be seen on the Higher Things Facebook site.
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. -Colossians 3
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- Published: 31 July 2017 31 July 2017
- Last Updated: 31 July 2017 31 July 2017
Who Was Martin Luther? Part 4
This is part four of a series written by Rev. Donavon Riley that orginally appeared on the HIgher Things - Dare To be Lutheran website.
After four years at the university in Erfurt, Luther had become "magister atrium", which is what we know as a Master of Liberal Arts. He finished second amongst seventeen students who were candidates to receive a degree that year. By the time young Martin was prepared to test for his degree, he'd devoted four years of study primarily to the classic Greek philosopher, Aristotle and all his works on metaphysics, politics, ethics, and economics.
An exciting part of a student's education at that time happened during the last two years at university. Students learned how to interpret and debate important topics, usually from the works of Aristotle. They also were expected to devote more time to the "quadrivium"—music, arithmetic, geometry, and astronomy.
University was intense for any student. Administration and faculty set high expectations for learning and academic achievement. To make sure everyone was focused on their studies, students lived together in what we call "dorms" under strict supervision. Free time or taking a break from studies was not considered to be a part of a student's daily routine. In fact, university life was very much based on a monastic style of life.
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- Published: 23 July 2017 23 July 2017
- Last Updated: 02 August 2017 02 August 2017